Boy Meets Girl
by aswiftlytiltingreality
Summary: It was that day, that moment, lying in the grass, that Reid Garwin fell in love. Reid/OC. Mostly fluff, with some drama and smut. TITLE CHANGED from "Skinny Love"
1. Absolute

**I own nothing but the OC's I've created...R&R please and enjoy!**

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She jumped out of the limo and bounded across Spenser's campus right towards her friends, who were congregated in front of Parry Hall, which was where the fine arts were housed. They all screamed their excitement at one another. They had always been an absurdly happy group. She assumed it was because they didn't have to mix with the other Spenser students, those whose interrests never branche far from the academic. Those students dreamed of becoming lawyers and doctors and CEOs and stock brokers. She and her friends dreamed of dancing for the American Ballet Company, having their paintings shown at a fancy art gallery in SoHo, or making their stage debut on Broadway. They were all, one way or another, going to attend NYU or Juliard. They had to, just as all the others had to get into Harvard or Yale or Princeton. They studied criminal law and she and her friends studied classical ballet and Picasso's blue period.

"Come on, just this once," her blond friend, Melissa, pleaded as they climbed the steps, "we never go to any of the local parties."

"And if you give me any of that 'my body is my temple' shit you usually do," called the redhead right behind her-that was Gia, "we never have any fun."

"Come on, Laura," Melissa tried once more. Laura stopped in front of her first class, Guitar IV and sighed, slowly but surely giving into the peer pressure. "I'll see what I can do. You know how my parents are. I mean I'll still have to go to practice after school and not to mention there's the extracurricular classes I'm taking outside of school."

"Laura, you're a shoe in for Juliard," Gia argued, "you're parents are pushing you way too hard. I mean, when was the last time you had a date?"

The dark haired girl pushed a strand of hair behind her ear and gave her friend a look. "I think you know the answer to that."

Melissa smacked Gia in the arm and gave her a look that clearly said 'I can't believe you brought that up'. Laura just rolled her eyes. "I'll think about it."

She pushed into the class and sat down at her regular seat, setting her guitar case at her feet and reveled in the eclectic group of students around her. Going against the normally straight-laced style of the school itself, student who, like herself, scheduled one half of their year for classes in the performing arts center, were exempt from the school uniform as Provost Higgins had decided that enforcing a uniformed dress code would interfere with the students' creative abilities. Most of the Parry Hall students were sure he had come to this decision because Laura was his niece and he had been biased (though they would never complain).

Laura Hart, niece of Provost Higgins, daughter of Henry and Diane, was different. She was different in the most normal of ways. She enjoyed schoolwork, she enjoyed over-achieving. She was polite and friendly to all who crossed her path. She was always happy and even on days she was feeling particularly sad, she still managed to smile in a radiant way. She was loved by everyone she knew and loved them immensely in return. It was a well known fact that Laura rarely had time outside of school for friends. School and classes just monopolized too much of the seventeen year old's time.

Laura smiled and greeted those seated closest to her. Everyone was busy pulling out their sheet music and tuning their guitars when someon rapped their fingers on the door. They all looked up to find a boy with longish hair standing in the doorway. He was wearing a leather motorcycle jacket and had a guitar case in one hand. "This Guitar IV?"

They all nodded and he entered the room, taking a seat not very far from Laura. As the teacher walked in, Laura leaned towards him and held out her hand, a sunny smile on her face. "You must be new to this side of Spenser's. I'm Laura Hart."

He shook her hand and smiled back just the tiniest bit in response. "Yeah, I've actually never set foot in this building. But I really wanted to round out my college applications and I'm not too shabby at guitar playing. I'm Pogue Parry."

She raised an eyebrow. "Any relation to the person this huge building is named after?"

He grinned. "Only slightly."

"_Oh,_" she nodded, joking along with him, "only slighty."

"Yeah," he laughed. He gave her a thoughtful look. "I don't think I've ever seen you around campus."

"I started here at Spenser last spring, and I only took classes on this side," she explained, "next semester is when I'll take all my academic classes."

"Where'd you move from?"

"I've always lived in Ipswich, but when I was younger, my parents sent me to boarding school in Switzerland."

His eyebrows rose in incredulity. "Boarding school."

Laura laughed at the look on his face. "Yeah, have you never met anyone who went to boarding school in Europe?"

"I can honestly say that no, I have not." His answer made her laugh harder. He cleared his throat. "Listen, I'm having a party at my house on Friday. My girlfriend's throwing it since it's my birthday. You should come and bring as many people as you can."

Laura tried not to laugh as she realized it was most likely the party that Melissa and Gia had tried to talk her into. She thought about it. It really had been a long time since she had socialized outside of school. She nodded at him finally. "I'll have to see if I can rearrange my schedule, but I'd love to go."

"Great," he exclaimed and gave her his address and his number in case she were to get lost on the way. After class-during which time Laura found that Pogue was a very talented guitar player and singer-Laura went through her day as usual. What she didn't realize as she walked toward the stables for her PE class (Equestrianism IV) was that everything about her wonderfully hectic life was about to change; for better and for worse.

* * *

It was such a nice day and Kate had insisted that they all sit outside in the sun. They had all indulged her and settled out under a large, well maintained willow tree not far from where several students were performing barrel jumps in the nearby training ring. The trees branches hung low to the ground, providing leafy curtains of privacy from the bustle of campus life. They were in the middle of their lunches when Pogue finally informed them about the girl he had met in the guitar class he had transferred into.

"So, you're going around flirting with other girls," Kate had asked icily. Pogue frowned at her. "It wasn't like that. She was really nice and she didn't flirt with me, which was one of the reasons I kept talking to her. I invited her to my birthday party."

"The party I'm throwing for you." The temperature around the small group dropped by ten degrees at that one cold statement. Pogue didn't look at her as he quickly responded, "yeah, the party you're throwing at my house."

Their four friends looked back and forth between them, as if watching a tennis match. Kate arched one eyebrow and picked at her potato salad. "I just don't see why you're inviting random girls over to your house."

"Because she was nice and I got the feeling that she doesn't get out and do much," he explained, "she went to boarding school in Switzerland for most of her life. I was trying to make friends."

"Yeah, _friends_," snorted his blond friend. Pogue glared at the younger boy. Reid was never much help in these types of situations, though Pogue knew this wasn't really his department of expertise. Reid Garwin, unlike his other two male friends, was unlike any one he knew. He was a liar and a cheater and a rule breaker, but he was also loyal to a fault. He was known for telling the truth as often as he lied and breaking a rule or two in order to do right. He talked more trash than the male population at Spenser's combined. He cheated at board games and pool, but refused to cheat at anything worthwhile (for which Pogue was very grateful). He hit on any and every girl he came across and then never looked at them twice, but he was one of only three people Pogue trusted with his life.

Their two best friends were Caleb Danvers and Tyler Simms and the four of them were inseparable and not long ago, Reid and Pogue had been tighter than the rest of them as they had both been born with wild streaks. It was the Parry and Garwin blood in them. Danvers and Simms were known for their level headed-ness and leadership capabilities, for their honesty and their intergrity. But the Parrys and The Garwins had always been known for their hell-raising. Then, Pogue had met Kate Tunney and had literally become a changed man, leaving Reid to fend for himself. Reid still still resented him for it, he could see it in the younger man's eyes every time he sided with Caleb instead of Reid or whenever he mentioned Kate when she wasn't around. Caleb had insisted he would get over it, but it was coming up on almost a year and a half and he wasn't even close to getting over it.

"Reid," Caleb snapped, brown eyes narrowed in disapproval. Reid rolled his arctic blue eyes and brushed some of his unruly hair out of his face, holding up his hands in defense. "What?!"

"Knock it off," Tyler warned, earning him a shocked look. Reid's shock was quickly replaced by annoyance. "You too, Ty?"

When they all just stared at him-only Sarah, Caleb's girlfriend, offered up a sympathetic smile-his eyes hardened and he shoved off the ground. "Fine. What the fuck ever. I don't need to put up with you guys' shit today."

"Reid," Pogue called after him, feeling guilty for running him off. Reid parted the trendriled willow branches, tossing a heated "fuck off" over his shoulder as he stepped out into the sun. He stalked forward, ignoring his surroundings and adjusted his fingerless, black gloves over his hands. He had already changed out of his uniform before class; it was Wednesday, his favorite day to skip. He shoved his hands in his pockets, ignoring his friends' calls for his return. He didn't understand why they snapped at him when they knew that that was what he did: make snide, vulgar, or rude comments whenever possible. They knew what he was like and they always, always always had to get onto him for it. Never in a million years would he admit how much it hurt to know his friends didn't care for the person he was.

Reid was so busy wallowing in self-pity he didn't notice the four legged beast in front of him and when he did finally look up, he came face to face with it's neck. He fell back onto the springy grass, arms flailing a bit as he yelled, "Oh, shit!"

The person sitting astride the large animal let out an amused laugh and Reid froze. Something about the sound of that voice was stunning. She leaned down in the saddle to look at him, her long dark hair cascading over her shoulders. The light from the sun glinted off her hair, creating a halo and for the briefest of moments, Reid was convinced he was in fact staring at an angel. "Are you okay," she asked, the last of her laughter beginning to taper off. Her deep, dark eyes sparkled and she had the most beautiful smile he had ever seen. After a couple more minutes of staring, Reid finally realized he was staring and she was waiting for a reply. Not to mention. he was still sprawled out on the ground. He jumped up quickly and began to brush off his baggy black jeans. "Uh, yeah, I'm fine."

She let out another one of her charming laughs. "Okay. Are you sure?"

"Uh, yeah," he muttered, scratching at his arm nervously, "Is your horse okay?"

Apparently, his question was either interpreted as a joke or was just absurd because she started laughing again. She nodded. "Yeah, I think he'll be okay."

Reid shifted from foot to foot. "What's his name?" Reid wasn't sure why exactly he had asked, but in that moment he really felt that he needed to know all there was to know about this girl. Usually, he would have used a pick up line, but he'd wisely chosen to forgo them. She tilted her head to the side, studying him, and her smile widened. "Bucephalus."

His eyebrows rose in recognition of the name. "Like Alexander the Great's horse."

She nodded back enthusiastically. "Yeah," she shrugged a little, "I'm really the only person he lets ride him, so I thought it fit, knowing the story and all."

Reid nodded in understanding. She frowned suddenly and shook her head. "I'm sorry, I'm being terribly rude. I almost trampled you with my horse and I haven't even introduced myself."

She started to dismount and Reid shoved his hands in his pockets to keep from reaching to help her down. Once both her feet were firmly planted on the ground, she turned toward him and stuck her hand out. "I'm Laura Hart."

"Reid Garwin." He took her hand in his and they both tensed up the slightest bit, tilting their heads to the side as they studied one another. A light breeze ruffled her softly curling hair, but she made no move to tame it as she continued to stare at him. "I feel like I know you," she said finally, squinting at him a bit.

"I think I would have remembered meeting you," he replied in a sincere voice. She smiled again and after several moments, she said in a quiet voice, "I think I would have remembered meeting you, too."

It was a story that would be past down from generation to generation from that day on among the founding Ipswich families. It was that day, that moment, lying in the grass, that Reid Garwin fell in love.

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A/N: I have, ever since I got into this fandom, wanted to write something super fluffy and just fun. And that's what this fic is going to be. Please review as the feedback helps me to know whether what I'm writing is pure garbage or fanfiction gold. I hope you enjoyed this first chapter.


	2. Body Language

**I own nothing but the OC's i've created....Reviews are much appreciated!!!**

**This chapter does contain smut so be warned!!!**

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Reid spent the rest of the day thinking about her. Her being Laura Hart. Unfortunately for him, the others had heard the commotion when he had run into her and witnessed their meeting firsthand. Luckily, they hadn't been able to hear the conversation. Which meant they didn't realize he was interested in her as he had brushed them off when they asked what happened. He had told them that they had merely introduced themselves to one another and then gone their separate ways. What he hadn't mentioned was that he had asked her to come to their meet that Friday before the party. He hadn't realized just how worried he was about whether or not she would say yes until she did say yes and he finally began breathing again.

As the four boys made their way out of the locker room, Kate and Sarah stepped up beside them and Kate was immediately gossiping away, but this time, Reid actually gave a damn because the topic was Laura. Kate could dig up Spenser dirt like no other. "Rumor has it, in the Arts department of course, that the reason her parents took her out of boarding school in Switzerland was because they found out she was seeing someone and they felt it was interfering with school."

"So, it's just a rumor," Sarah laughed with a smile on her face, "why are we believing a rumor?"

"That's why I asked around, and this one girl, who is the younger sister of one of her best friends told me that it's true," Kate hissed triumphantly, "apparently things started to get a little serious and her parents pulled the plug and told her to pack her bags."

"How serious?" Even Tyler liked a good bit of gossip every now and then. Kate smirked, "I was told the nuns found condoms in her dorm room."

Caleb rolled his eyes. "They could have been her roommates' and how many of us have condoms in our rooms?"

Kate rolled her eyes right back at him. "Well, regardless, that's what I was told."

"And so, you don't like her because she's sexually active?" Pogue shook his head in disbelief. "We all are."

Kate just rolled her eyes at him. "Yeah, but she was _flirting_ with you."

Having met Laura, Reid seriously doubted it. Kate went back to what she was talking about. "Besides, apparently the whole department is abuzz over the fact that little Miss Perfect is going to be attending your party _and_ was asked by a _certain member_ of the swim team to come to their meet Friday."

"I didn't invite her and it could have been anyone else."

Reid remained silent. Kate just gave Pogue one of her looks. "Whatever, all I know is, if I see her flirting with you, I will definitely make it clear to her just who your girlfriend is."

She turned to Sarah, sensing that Sarah was the only one really taking her seriously (though Reid was listening discreetly behind them). "Anyway, she's a senior, obviously, and apparently she is ridiculously good at everything she does. She's especially good at dancing. Her main goal in life is to get into the American Ballet Company or Complexions."

"Complexions?"

Kate shrugged. "Don't ask me what it is, I have no idea."

Now that he thought about it, she had had an innate grace about her that had made her motions seem almost fluid. They pushed out through the front doors of Spenser's and headed out towards the parking lot. Reid stopped listening to Kate's bitchy comments and glanced over toward the Parry Hall when something caught his eye. Three girls were bounding down the steps, arm in arm, giggling. One of them was Laura. The blond managed to bump into one boy. He had glasses, was sickly pale, and way too thin. She had managed to knock the books out of his arms. She gave him an annoyed look, but Laura had stopped walking and bent down to help him pick up his books. She handed them to him and he stared at her with pure adoration as she spoke to him, smiling all the while. So she was perfect and she was nice to everyone. She waved goodbye to him and caught up with her friends and they all climbed into a limousine together.

"Reid," Caleb called and his head snapped back toward the elder boy, realizing he had missed something. "What?"

"You coming to Nicky's with us now or are we meeting up later?"

"Yeah, I'm coming," he sighed. At the moment, he wasn't really in the mood to play pool or swindle Aaron Abbot out of his money. What he really wanted, was for Friday to hurry up and get there already.

* * *

Laura took another bite of her fillet Mignon and then set her fork down, darting nervous looks between her parents. Henry Hart prided himself on the fact that his daughter was brilliant, studious, and talented beyond belief. He prided himself more on the fact that his daughter was so committed to achieving her dreams, that she barely spared a single thought to boys, who would do nothing but ruin her chances of becoming a world renown dancer. Diane Hart, on the other hand, prided herself on the fact that her child was happy, and so long as Laura was happy, Diane would feel as though she had fulfilled her role as a mother.

Laura set her fork down and cleared her throat. Her mother and Father looked at her expectantly. She looked down at her plate and back up again, clearing her throat. "Um, there was something, I would like to speak to the two of you about. Regarding friday night."

Her parents exchanged quick glances, her mother's pointedly willing her husband to hear their daughter out. Laura continued, "I was hoping that I could maybe, skip my piano lesson and my still-life sculpting class to attend the school swim meet. I've never been and I was invited by someone at school."

"Getting involved in school activities, supporting your Alma Mater," he father nodded, "nothing wrong with that."

She nodded, then added much more hesitantly, "There's more."

Her father raised a dubious eyebrow and her mother reached over to place a hand on his forearm in order to keep him from saying anymore. Laura began to carefully word her inquiry. "A new boy transferred into my first class and we started talking...and he invited me to come to the birthday party his girlfriend is throwing for him that same night. I was wondering if I could attend both. It's the first time I've been invited to do anything at the school and outside."

Her father stared at her thoughtfully. "Did this boy invite you to the swim meet, too?"

"No," she answered turthfully.

"Is he on the swim team?"

"If he is, I don't know about it," she answered just as truthfully, "he really only talked to me about that party. He said I could bring people with me and I thought I would go with Gia and Melissa, that way I would be going to a mere acquaintance's house alone."

Her parents exchanged another look and Laura began to wring her napkin in her lap as she waited for their decision. Her father clearly wanted to say no, but her mother was giving him that look she gave whenever she felt he was being to strict. Henry Hart raised an eyebrow at his wife and sighed out his nose before addressing his daughter. "I suppose you can go to this party."

"And," her mother jumped in, shooting him a look that said simply 'keep your mouth shut or else', "since you have perfect attendance and your grades are impeccable, I'm perfectly fine with setting your curfew at one a.m. so long as you promise you will be up and ready for your Watercolor class the next morning."

Laura jumped up and hugged both of her parents tightly. "Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"Just remember, one a.m.," her mother warned. Laura took her seat and nodded again. "I won't be late, I promise."

"After dinner, don't forget to practice your playing so that Madame won't think your shirking your lessons," her father said in a calm voice, though the look her shot her told her wasn't pleased with her sudden urge to become more of a social butterfly. Laura nodded submissively. Speaking would only cause her father to rethink his decision.

Once, dinner was over, she cleared the table, washed the dishes and practiced piano for three consecutive hours. Every so often, her father would wander in to monitor her progress, but Laura barely noticed. Though her playing was flawless all she could think about was the blond boy with clear blue eyes and a disarmingly handsome smile.

* * *

For Reid, the entire day had dragged on for far too long and when Friday finally arrived, he was nervous and fidgety; so much so that not only had Sarah asked him what was bothering him, but even Aaron Abbot had seemed a little concerned when he ribbed him for it in AP Chemistry. Reid had shrugged him off, but Aaron had watched him out of the corner of his eye for the rest of class. The two were lab partners and so he noticed every single far off look and every finger tap and seat shift the blond boy made.

"It's a girl, isn't it," Aaron had asked finally. Reid hadn't replied. While he and Aaron were hostile in public, the two go along rather well. It was really only Caleb and the others that Aaron clashed with and Reid knew that if it weren't for the relationship and circumstances which kept him remaining close to the others, that he and Aaron probably would have been best friends. Aaron took Reid's silence as answer enough and didn't say more. They finished their lab work in silence and once the bell rang, Reid bolted out of his seat and out the door before the teacher could even begin to announce "class dismissed".

He changed in the locker room and was out by the pool in record time. The other team was already there, warming up. Once the rest of his teammates arrived, Reid joined them, his eyes scanning the small crowd on the bleachers every few seconds, looking for the one person he'd most wanted to see all week. He nearly jumped out of his skin when Caleb clapped a friendly hand down on his shoulder. His dark-haired friend let out a laugh. "What's your deal, man? Sarah said you'd been weird today, but I had no idea."

"Nothing, I'm fine."

Pogue nodded toward one end of the bleachers. "They're here."

Reid didn't even bother looking. He knew Pogue meant Kate and Sarah. The three boys with him raised their hands and waved, but Reid was busy fiddling with the waistband of his sweatpants. He felt naked, self-conscious, for the first time in his teenage life.

"...wonder who invited her." Reid only caught the last bit of Pogue's sentence, but he didn't need to guess to know who they were talking about. His head snapped up and he followed their gazes. Laura was just sitting down on the first row of the bleachers on the far side. Provost Higgins walked over to her and smiled broadly at her and said something Reid couldn't make out and she nodded, smiling that beautiful smile of hers as she spoke back just as enthusiastically. They exchanged a few more words and then Provost Higgins was on his way again.

"There's a lot more people here than usual," Tyler said quietly. It was true. The bleachers were packed with unrecognizable faces. Pogue smiled. "She must've told some other people to come. I've seen some of those kids in my guitar class and in the halls at Parry Hall."

"Kate's giving her a death glare."

Kate was indeed glaring daggers at Laura, but Laura had yet to notice as they were nearly on opposite sides of the bleachers from one another. The four boys broke away from one another reluctantly as the meet began and they all sat down on the benches, each separately awaiting their heats. Reid looked up just in time to catch Laura's eye. He smiled and waved at her. She returned the smile and waved right back.

"Who'd she wave at?" Tyler asked, next to Pogue. Pogue shrugged. "I have no idea."

"She better not have waved at my man," Kate seethed. Sarah frowned next to her friend. "I don't think she did, but I didn't see who waved at her."

Kate narrowed her eyes at the enemy. It was bad enough that the bitch was making a move on Pogue, but did she have to look so perfect while doing so in her flower print skirt with a soft pink top, and ridiculously long flowing hair. "I hate her. She's just so...perfect."

"If you don't stop staring, people are going to notice," Sarah warned. Kate scoffed. "If you haven't noticed, half the people here are staring at the little tramp! It's like they all think she's a damn institution around here or something. I didn't even know who she was a week ago."

"Pogue's up next," Sarah, said, nudging her friend in an effort to distract her. They cheered extra loud, hoping that if Laura heard them, she got the message loud and clear. Sarah glanced at her out of the corner of her eye. Laura was busy talking to someone to her right; it was a girl with messy blond hair and paint splatters all over her badly faded jeans. As they spoke, Laura continued to cheer for each swimmer evenly, and Sarah finally gave up trying to figure out who had invited her. For all she knew, it was the girl who she had been talking to.

"Two-hundred meter Breaststroke, Reid Garwin, Spenser Academy, and Michael Bristow, Phillips Academy."

"C'mon, Reid," Sarah called, clapping as he and his competitor took their positions. Sarah glanced back over to Laura, whose attention was now focused solely on the meet, her companion having slipped off while Sarah's attention was elsewhere. Sarah and Kate jumped up and clapped wildly when Reid was named the victor. Reid strolled back over to the benches in a surprisingly subdued manner, pulling on his sweats. He sat down next to Caleb, who patted him on the back proudly. He just nodded at Caleb and then looked over into the crowded bleachers, smiling proudly at someone.

"Since when does Reid not rub it in the other team's face?"

Kate snorted. "Beats me."

The minute the meet was over, the crowd slowly began to disburse. Much to Sarah's curiosity-and Kate's chagrin-Laura remained seated, obviously waiting on someone. At the moment, she was busy talking to someone from the school's newspaper staff. They were busy writing down something she was saying.

"What's up ladies," Tyler asked as he, Pogue, and Caleb approached. The two girls smiled up at them and Kate jumped up to wrap Pogue in her arms and give him a long kiss. "You were great!"

Several of the people seated behind them on the bleachers began to whisper to one another loudly, and the small group heard one female voice whispered a little bit louder than they meant, "Oh. My. _God._"

They all turned to see Reid striding in their direction purposely, but his eyes were elsewhere and he refused to look at them as he walked right past them and right up to Laura Hart. Their jaws dropped in unison as they watched the surreal conversation unfold before them.

Reid rubbed at his messy, wet hair nervously, smiling slightly. "Hey."

Laura smiled back up at him, shy yet confident, her eyes dancing. "Hey."

"So," Reid, said, looking down at the tiled floor as he rocked back on his heels for a moment and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "What'd you think?"

She shrugged her shoulders and her smile grew. "I thought you were great!"

"Really?" His question sounded relieved. She nodded adamantly. "You had him by over a minute. You're a fast one, Garwin. You're really great."

Some of his nervousness ebbed away and he laughed, "So, I've been told."

"And you're just now starting to believe it," she asked, placing a hand on his bare arm. He looked from her hand to to her eyes and his smile became almost serious. "Yeah."

They stared at one another for several minutes and she slid her hand down to twine her fingers with his. At the contact, they both grinned and looked away shyly. After a moment, Reid cleared his throat. "Um, I have to change, but, would you maybe wanna wait and I'll meet you after?"

"Of course," she agreed readily and he gave her another boyish grin. "Alright, I promise I'll be back quick."

He squeezed her hand and then reluctantly pulled away from her, ignoring everyone who was staring at them. As he passed his shocked group of friends, still smiling to himself, and he called to them in regular Reid fashion, "Later, Jerk offs!"

They stared after him, completely frozen and unable to think of what they should do next. Instead, they stood in companionable silence, unable to get over what they had just seen. They still hadn't overcome their initial shock when Reid finally emerged and Laura walked over to him. They exited the pool area together, not quite holding hands, but close enough that the backs of their fingers brushed together as they moved off together.

Finally able to find her voice, Kate echoed the thoughts of another unknown female student when she uttered three syllables. "Oh. My. _God._"

* * *

"So you want to be a dancer," Reid asked. He had brought her to a small diner in town after the meet and so far, their conversation had been easy and relaxed. She nodded and took a bite out of her fudge sundae. He waggled his eyebrows at her. "What _kind_ of dancer?"

Her eyes widened and she swatted his shoulder playfully. "Reid, be nice."

He couldn't help, but chuckle. "But I'm not a nice guy."

"I know."

Her reply caught him off guard and his laughter died out. He watched her for a moment and she watched him right back, a little smile on her face as she pulled the stem out of a maraschino cherry and then popped the bright red fruit in her mouth. "And it doesn't bother you?"

She tilted her head to the side and looked at him; her smile was soft and warm when she spoke. "No."

They shared another smile and it was her turn to ask a question. "So what are your plans?"

"Go to Harvard, become a lawyer," he rattled off and Laura caught the hollow tone in his voice. "Doesn't sound like something you want."

He just shrugged and looked down at his arms, which were crossed atop the table. She bent her head to catch his gaze. "What is it you really wanna do, Reid?"

Reid met her eyes hesitantly. "I want to...paint."

"Really," she was smiling again, "you as good at painting as you are at competitive swimming?"

He grinned and nodded his head a little, feeling his chest swell at the realization that there was no part of her that would ever judge him-she liked everything she knew about him thus far and that was more than he could say for anyone he knew at that point. "Yeah, I took a bunch of classes up until high school. My Dad's the one who wants me to go to Harvard and become a lawyer."

"Family tradition," she guessed. She popped another one of the cherries in her mouth. "That's kind of how my family is."

"Really?"

She nodded and handed him her spoon so he could have a bite of her sundae as he had already finished his burger and fries. "My father's very set on me becoming a dancer and becoming successful like the Harts before me and him. And don't get me wrong, I want to-more than anything-but sometimes it makes it hard for me to get out and do normal things."

"Like this," Reid said slowly. She nodded again. "He would have a fit if he knew I was here with you."

Reid frowned. Most fathers were against their daughters spending time with him, but that was for reasons he was sure her father knew nothing about. "Why?"

"He'd consider you a distraction," she explained, "my father believes that I need to focus solely on school and any other activities that will get me into a respectable university or performing arts institution."

"What other activities," he asked between bites, barely looking away from her when the waitress came and took away his plate. She let out a sigh. "Well, on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays I have dance practice after school. On Wednesdays, I have a drawing class at six, Thursday evenings I have ballet at five and then Fridays I have piano lessons directly after school and then a still-life sculpting class at seven. Saturday mornings I have watercolor at ten and then riding lessons from one to four on Sunday."

Reid stared at her, open-mouthed. "When do you have time to think?"

She burst out laughing, "I don't."

Reid stuck the spoon back into the sundae and recrossed his arms. "Don't you wish you had time for other stuff?"

"Like what," she asked pointedly. By the look in her eyes, he knew she was aware of what he would say next. "Like...going on a date."

She scooped a mouthful of melting ice cream into her mouth and tried not to smile. "Not until recently."

Reid shifted in his seat nervously and lifted one hand to pull at his lip. "How recently?"

"Well," she began with a sigh, unable to keep from smiling any longer, "this unbelievably rude, cute boy ran into me while I was riding my horse and ever since then I've been thinking that there may be more out there than what I thought there was."

He grinned crookedly. "Yeah?"

"Yeah."

* * *

"I _can't_ believe you didn't say _anything_," Gia whined, looking into the backseat at her best friend. Laura was in the middle of changing into a much shorter jean skirt that her father currently had no idea she owned and would have been appalled at. "Do you _realize_ what a big deal it is that _Reid Garwin_ is the mystery guy that asked you to come to his swim meet?! Do you _know_ just how many people have called us asking us for dirt?!"

"Obviously it's a bigger deal than I thought," Laura grunted as she tugged her skirt into place. Melissa whipped around in the passenger seat to glare at her as well. "You bet your fucking ass it is!"

"Melissa," Laura admonished. Melissa only glared at her more. "Well, it is. Us Arts kids don't exactly rub elbows with the Trads, but even we know who Reid Garwin is." Trads was what the Art Department students called the traditional Spenser students for short.

"Well, pardon me for not knowing just how much I was disturbing the balance of the universe."

Gia waved her off in the rear view mirror. "Honey, you're a square. We don't even expect you to know who Caleb Danvers is."

"Who," Laura asked in confusion. Gia nodded. "Exactly."

"Anyway," Melissa continued, as if Gia had done her a great injustice by interrupting her rant, "this is a big deal because he is the King of juvenile delinquents and you are the Queen of sugar and spice and everything nice."

"I hardly think he's a juvenile delinquent," Laura muttered as she proceeded to change out of the quarter length cashmere sweater she worn and into a thin green tank top with equally thin straps. "If he were there would be no way he would still be on the swim team, let alone attending Spenser."

"You don't get it," Melissa insisted, "Garwin's old money, he can do anything he wants and get away with it. Rob a bank and shoot the sheriff and he'd get away clean."

"That doesn't sound like him at all," she mumbled, checking herself over. Gia took it upon herself to interrupt again. "The _whole school_ is talking about it, Laura."

"Uh, why?"

"I just _told_ you," the blond girl cried in exasperation, turning back around in her seat. Gia snickered at her. "Because, whether you realize it or not, more people know you than you think."

"What?"

"It is pure fact at Spensers that you are the nicest, most straight-laced student to ever walk the halls of that place, just as it is pure fact that Reid Garwin is a no good, low down, shit-talking, ass-grabbing, womanizer set forth to reign hell and heartbreak on the female population of the world at large."

Laura pursed her lips and stared at the back of her friend's head with an almost icy look in her usually warm eyes. "You don't even know him."

They spent the rest of the car ride in silence. When they pulled up to the Parry mansion, they all climbed out and Gia finally turned to look at her, all seriousness. "Well, you're about to find out what I mean. Parry and Garwin are best friends."

Despite her friend's words, Laura refused to believe what she had been told and she certainly refused to let it ruin her evening. "Guys, can we not talk about this and just have fun," she pleaded as they pushed inside the crowded house. The Bass from the sound system was pulsing throughout the rooms and she could already feel herself being pulled towards its siren-like call. Gia and Melissa had similar thoughts as their faces were already painted with mile-long smiles. They all grabbed one another by the hand, and without needing to ask for directions through the maze like palace, they followed the music into a large open room.

There were chips and dip, and other assorted snack foods sitting by an even larger assortment of alcoholic beverages on a long table and the room was crammed with bodies. Some people were milling about around the sidelines and the rest were dancing frantically, laughing and singing as they moved. Laura caught sight of Pogue and waved at him over the crowd. He smiled and waved back. The dark skinned girl he had his arm around, leaned up and asked him something and he shrugged and pulled out his phone. By then, Laura was already caught up in dancing with Gia and Melissa, oblivious to the curious stares they received. Someone put a hand on her shoulder and she turned to find Pogue smiling down at her. "Hey nice moves, glad you could come," he called over the music. He held up a red plastic cup and handed it to her. "I brought you a drink."

"Thanks, Happy Birthday," she called back. Pogue nodded and then jerked his thumb over his shoulder. "When you can get away from your partners, you should come meet my friends."

She nodded. "Definitely." And then she was back to dancing.

Pogue made his way back over to Kate, who asked, "Where is he? Did she ask where he was?"

He shook his head and was about to say something, when Reid appeared at his side. "Did who ask where who was?"

Pogue wasted no time in pointing at Laura and her two friends dancing in the throng of people, who had given them room to dance. Sarah lunged at Kate, "I think a different song is in order," she cried and ran over to the DJ, handing him a twenty she Caleb had given her at her insistence and told him what song she wanted played. The DJ nodded and immediately went about switching vinyls. The minute the song kicked in Sarah and Kate squealed and ran out to dance close to where Laura was, introducing themselves in the process.

"My girlfriend is a genius," Caleb intoned seriously, taking in the look on all the boys' faces. All Reid could hear was the music and all he could see was Laura and the way she moved to the beat, hips swaying perfectly in synch.

_"Ooo, that body's like music to my ear_  
_Ooo, that body's like music to my ear_  
_Ooo, that body's like music to my ear_  
_'Cause what you want is right here"_

Laura had her arms in the air, singing along, and grinding in the middle of the floor.

_"The way, the way she get it on the floor_  
_I'm tryin', I'm tryin' to holler at you_  
_I want to get to know you better_

_Parlez vous francais?_  
_Konichiwa_  
_Come and move in my way_  
_Hey, little chica from Guadeloupe_  
_That thing you got behind you is amazing"_

Her redheaded friend came up and wrapped her arms around her neck and pulled her in close, and they leaned their foreheads together as they continued to dance. Reid couldn't believe how completely sexy she was in that moment. He'd had ideas, but now he knew. She really was the perfect girl. No doubt about it.

_"Now, I don't speak Spanish, Japanese or French_  
_But the way that body's talkin' definitely makes sense_  
_It's her, her body, her body, her body language_  
_It's her, her body, her body, her body language_  
_The way she moves around_  
_When she grinds to the beat_  
_Breaking it down articulately_  
_It's her, her body, her body, her body language_  
_It's her, her body, her body, her body"_

_That make me want to say hey...('ey!)"_

"Hey!" the crowd yelled in unison, energized by the display, continuing to echo the chorus of the song. And that was when Reid broke away from his friends, pulling off his black hoodie and throwing it at Caleb as he made a beeline for her. He gently tugged her toward him and her eyes lit up when she saw him, but she never said a word as he pulled her up against him. She wrapped her arms around his neck tightly and rolled her hips into his, grinning just as hard as he was at the full body contact.

_"Shorty, let me whisper in your ear_  
_Tell you everything you wanna hear_  
_You got my vote: Hottest Girl of the Year_  
_Let's have a celebration, baby_

_Parlez vous francais?_  
_Konichiwa_  
_Come and move in my way_  
_Hey, little chica from Guadeloupe_  
_That thing you got behind you is amazing"_

Laura turned in his arms, pressing her back up against his back and someone next to them let out a loud "Whoo" and they turned to see Tyler sandwiched in between Melissa and Gia. Caleb and Pogue had since joined Sarah and Kate respectively. Laura caught Melissa and Gia's attention and they all nodded, pulling away from their male dance partners.

_"Now, I don't speak Spanish, Japanese or French_  
_But the way that body's talkin' definitely makes sense"_

Flanked by Gia and Melissa, the three pivoted on slowly began to rotate their hips, dropping inch by inch to the floor. It was like Moses parting the Red Sea and everyone turned to watch them.

_"It's her, her body, her body, her body language_  
_It's her, her body, her body, her body language"_

Turning from side to side still crouched, they thrust their hands out, first left than right.

_"The way she moves around_  
_When she grinds to the beat"_

And then they rose up in unison, bent at the hips.

_"Breaking it down articulately"_

They closed ranks on one another in a gyrating two-step, leaning back one shoulder.

_"It's her, her body, her body, her body language_  
_It's her, her body, her body, her body"_

Reid wasn't the only one who was thoroughly impressed. Their fellow partygoers cheered at the impromptu choreography. Kate even threw out an amazed, "How did you do that?!" Laura laughed and Reid pulled her back up against him; he didn't say a word-she knew what he thought. He could tell by the pleased look on her face as she once more wrapped her arms around his neck and pushed up against him. Reid slid one hand down to wrap around her hips. The end of the chorus kicked in and they yelled out "Hey" along with the rest of the crowd at the appropriate times, but not once did they break eye contact.

_"I'm lifting up my voice to say_  
_You're the hottest girl in the world today_  
_The way you shake_  
_You got me losing my mind"_

Reid was definitely losing his mind, he was sure of it. He had never been so turned on from dancing with a girl. The feel of her skin pressed so tightly to his was more intoxicating than anything else he had ever experience-including the Covenant power that flowed through his veins. The heady scent of of their sweat mingled together was driving him into sensory overdrive. He rand one hand down over her hip and slowly slid it down her tones thigh, pulling it up. She complied, hooking her leg around his hips, and gyrated into him. Before Reid could stop himself, he crushed his lips to hers. Laura's response was instantaneous. She wound her fingers in his hair roughly, giving him full access to her mouth.

_"You're banging like a speakerbox_  
_Turn around; the party stops"_

Just as quickly as it had happened, they pulled apart, Laura letting out a whimper of loss. Reid searched her eyes questioningly and Laura nodded. Not one to ever be told twice, Reid hoisted her up in his arms and started off toward the stairs as she wrapped her other leg around his waist and dropped several heated kiss on his face and neck.

_"Universal lady, let me take you away"_

Reid wasn't sure what room he brought them to as he and Laura had since returned to their frenzied kissing. He simply chose one and kicked the door open and once inside, slammed it shut and pinned her up up against it. They broke apart long enough for Laura to pull his shirt over his torso and toss to the side. Reid followed her lead, sliding his hands under her tank top and pulling it over her body. Laura dropped to the floor, leaning back against the door as she hastily unbuckled his belt. Her gaze never once wavered from his. He tugged once at her skirt and it fell to the floor just as she undid his zipper and he scooped her back up in his arms, taking her to the large bed in the center of the room. They weren't faintly aware of the music causing their surrounding to vibrate as they rid themselves of their last few bits of clothing.

He reluctantly pulled himself away from her lips to look into her eyes. She was ready. Reid leaned back down and kissed her with just as much force as before as he pushed into her and she moaned into his mouth and brought her hips up to meet his. Reid shivered against her and Laura ran her fingers through his hair soothingly as she gripped his shoulder with her other hand. She nibbled at his bottom lips to urge him on.

This was different. Reid had had enough sex with enough girls to know that this was different. Everything with her was different. Everything with her made sense, felt better than anything else, and meant more. They moved against each other in perfect unison, anticipating one another accurately. Reid would reflect later that this was the first time with any girl where the look in her eyes alone was enough to tell him what she wanted next and Laura eyes were heavy with intense pleasure. Reid buried his hands in her thick, dark hair and brushed his lips against hers as he moved in and out her. "You're perfect," he whispered breathlessly, not even aware he had spoken until she whispered back, her voice just as husky as his, "So are you."

* * *

A/N: So, there's the second chapter and I know it's really long, but I didn't want to splitit up into two parts. Also, the song is "Body Language" by Jesse McCartney. Yes, I'm aware this song cam eout two2 years after the movie, but they never really mention specifically when what the time frame is so this is where I'm setting it. Love it or leave, I thought it fit. Anyway, please read and review as I love any and all feedback!


	3. A Thousand Walks

**I own nothing but the OCs I've created. Please read and review. All criticism is welcome.  
**

* * *

It was just now eleven-thirty. Reid and Laura had come back downstairs and headed out front of the Parry mansion. Reid leaned up against his car, a Dodge Challenger. Like all the clothes he wore, his car was also monochromatic. The interior and exterior were both black. Reid wondered for a moment what he and Laura must look like to an outsider-she with her soft, sweet voice and he with his loud, crass language and equally loud attitude. But Laura didn't mind him in the least bit and he wasn't about to start caring what other people thought. She didn't seem like she cared about the opinion of others either.

Music from inside the house filtered outside, disrupting the peace and quiet of the night. Laura sat down next to him and hugged herself to keep the chill in the air from getting to her. Reid had lit a cigarette and was in the process of smoking in quiet contemplation when he noticed her shiver. He stood up and dug his keys out of his pocket. Cigarette hanging from his lips he gave her a pointed look as he started around toward the trunk. "Gimme a sec."

Laura watched him curiously as he opened the trunk and pulled out a black hoodie. He handed it to her and she pulled it on with a thankful smile. Seeing her in his hoodie caused a lump to form in his throat and his stomach to do flips. He took a drag off his cigarette and looked up at her through his mussed hair, adjusting his beanie. "Does it bother you that I smoke?"

She sat next to him, propping her feet up on the front bumper. "Does it bother you that I don't?"

He smiled in response. He looked out toward the other cars, studying them disinterestedly and kicked at a pebble on the ground. He pushed himself up off the car and turned to look at her seriously. She was watching him just as seriously. "You make me nervous."

"I know."

He nodded at her response and looked at her again, but this time out of the corner of his eye. She nudged his leg with her foot. "Tell me about your friends."

"What about 'em?"

"You're all really close," she observed quietly. "I mean, I don't really know that much about you all, but I've definitely heard enough."

"We grew up together," he explained, shrugging. People seemed fascinated with his relationships with Caleb, Pogue, and Tyler. He didn't understand what was so great about it. "Our parents are all close, so we kind of got stuck together."

Reid really didn't want to talk about how he was more than a little sure the other three boys really weren't that fond of him. Instead, she started talking about his favorite subject as of late: herself.

"I had the same roommate all through boarding school," she told him softly, looking at her own feet. "Her name was Margot. We were completely different in every single way. But she ended up being my best friend." she nodded to herself and looked up at him. Her eyes were slightly watery and she sniffed. "I miss her."

"Why'd you come back?"

She licked her lips and stood up, pacing for a couple of seconds. "The nuns found condoms in our dorm. I told them they were mine so Margot wouldn't get in trouble."

"And your dad made you come back," Reid finished for her. She nodded, but she didn't look upset. "I was kind of ready to come home. I kind of missed this place. I'd been away for so long that after a while, it just didn't seem real, you know?"

He nodded. "When I was five, my dad took me to Disney World. I remember being there, seeing things, doing things. But sometimes, it's like I made it all up."

They both nodded in agreement. After several moments, Reid began to fidget again, rocking back on his heels and looking around at anything and everything. Laura reached out and put a hand on his arm. "Hey," she said and he looked at her. She tugged him toward her. "Come here."

Reid went willingly, wrapping his arms around her. She stood up on her tip toes and kissed him soundly. Reid buried his hand in her hair and tightened his hold on her. They pulled apart barely, their lips ghosting across each other as he spoke, "Go on a date with me."

"Where," she asked not a moment after. He felt himself begin to grin. "Anywhere."

"I want you to take me to the movies," she whispered kissing his jaw. He kissed her lips. "I can do that."

"And on our second date, I want you to take me out to dinner."

Reid smiled into her hair and kissed her forehead. "Oh, yeah? And where do you want to go on the third one?"

"Disney World."

He laughed and kissed her again. "I'll see what I can do. When do you want to go to the movies?"

Laura frowned as she thought about it, biting her lip. "How's Monday sound? I can meet you after dance class."

"Sounds great," he agreed and bent back down to kiss her.

"There you are," someone yelled and they broke apart, looking toward the source of that exasperated voice. Gia was stalking toward them from the front door. "It's twelve-thirty, you know. We gotta go."

"Then give me a minute," Laura hissed back, shooting Reid an apologetic look. She kissed him gently and whispered, "I'll call you" before kissing him deeper.

"Come _on_," Gia snapped in annoyance. Laura shot her a glare and gave him a quick, hard kiss.

"Bye, Reid," she said as she broke out of his embrace and moved over to her friend. Gia grabbed Laura's upper arm and began to drag her off toward their car while Laura continued to look over her shoulder at him. Her red-headed friend tugged harder on her arm. Her gaze snapped back to her. "Ow, Gia, what is the matter with you?!"

But Reid didn't hear her reply and watched as the three girls piled into the car and sped off. Laura had been looking out the window at him. She turned toward her friends and scowled. "What was that about?"

"_That_ was about you _going upstairs_ with Reid Garwin," Gia practically shouted, "Have you _lost_ your mind? Do you _know_ how many people _saw_ you? Do you know what everyone is going to be _saying_ about you on Monday?"

"You didn't sleep with him did you," Melissa asked, turning to look at her friend with a penetrating stare. Laura looked at her as if she had gone crazy. "Why are you guys freaking out about me liking Reid?"

"Because he's bad news!" Gia slammed her hands against the steering wheel, causing Laura and Melissa to jump slightly. Gia had always been the overprotective mother hen. Gia had transferred to Spenser during her sophomore year of high school from Los Angeles, where she had spent all of her free time partying with anyone, anywhere, and at any time. She had made it her duty as a best friend, to protect Laura and Melissa from any and all things associated with juvenile delinquency. "Guys like Reid Garwin want one thing and one thing only; pussy. And they want tons of it!"

"Gia," Melissa and Laura cried in unison. Ignoring their outbursts, Gia continued, "He's been playing you since the minute he met you, Laura, and you fell for it. Come Monday, you'll be nobody to him. Just some girl he fucked at some wicked party."

"We're going on a date Monday."

Gia stared at her in the rear view mirror. "Are you serious?" The sudden curiosity and surprise in her voice was genuine.

When she saw Laura nod, she asked, "So you didn't sleep with him?"

Laura ignored the question and rolled her eyes. She looked at Melissa. Melissa loved anything and everything related to boys. "We're going to the movies."

"So, he can maul you in the back row, right," Gia asked rudely. Melissa glared at her. "Quit being a bitch, Gia."

Gia pursed her lips in anger and Melissa turned back to Laura, snapping her gum as she spoke. "What're you gonna tell your folks?"

"If it's alright with you, I'm just gonna tell them I'm with you. I'll need you to drive me home, too."

"Parental deception," Melissa laughed, grinning madly, "Count me in. I'll be in town all day, so I'll be around."

"You're going to get caught, you know," Gia warned, "and you know what's gonna happen? Your Dad is gonna ship you off to Timbuktu."

"She's not gonna get caught."

"Yes, she is," Gia argued back. She looked at Laura. "I guarantee, that whether or not Garwin turns out to be good or bad, you are going to get caught. It's just how the world works."

"Maybe in your fucked up, cynical world it does," Melissa snorted. Gia rolled her eyes. "Just try and be careful and don't say I didn't warn you."

* * *

"What's up with you," Pogue asked Reid as they got dressed in the boys' locker room after swim practice. "we haven't seen you since the party and you won't tell us anything."

Reid shut his locker and pulled on his shirt, shrugging as he did so. Though he didn't show it, he was well aware of the fact that every single boy on the swim team was waiting for him to say he'd slept with Laura and divulge every single detail. Instead, he pulled on his gloves and said in a flippant tone, "Had things to do."

"Like what," Caleb asked, peering around Pogue to look at his blond friend. "C'mon, man. What happened?"

Reid stuffed his school uniform in his duffel bag. "Nothing happened."

"Nothing happened," Caleb repeated. Besides the sounds of lockers closing, the room was quiet enough that you could hear a pin drop. Reid looked back up at Caleb. "Nope."

Ignoring Pogue and Caleb's inability to come to terms with his evasiveness, he turned to Tyler. "What time is it?"

"Four-twenty-five, why," Tyler replied. Reid reopened his locker and shoved his duffel bag inside. "I gotta go."

"Go where," Pogue asked. Reid just glared at him and slammed his locker. "I have plans."

"What kind of plans," Pogue shot back. Reid rolled his eyes and started for the locker room door. "The kind of plans that don't involve you three."

"Come on, Reid," Tyler called after him, "you have to give us something!"

Several guys in the locker room murmured in agreement. Reid rolled his eyes again and continued on his way, waving goodbye as he went. It had been that way all day, people looking at him and whispering. They had always done it and he had never cared, but knowing that they were whispering about him and Laura rubbed him the wrong way somehow. He didn't want people talking about them like they knew what was going on when they didn't know a damn thing.

Once he was outside, Reid breathed in deeply. He had felt caged all day. Something about living on campus drove him crazy and all the gossip and looks had just about caused him to snap. Being outside, in the open made everything melt away. It was sunny out and there was just enough of a breeze to bring it to the perfect temperature. Reid had always loved fall. It was dark, yet light and beautiful. Reid was so busy watching the leaves that fell from a nearby tree and danced in the wind that he didn't see the person walking in front of him until he literally collided with them. Papers and books flew everywhere and the person he'd run into sighed heavily and bent down to pick up their belongings.

"Hey, man, I'm sorry," he said, also bending down to help gather up the papers and books. The person looked up at him from behind large black framed glasses, obviously surprised. "Uh, it's okay."

Reid recognized him immediately as the boy Laura's friend had also run into and Laura had helped up. He smiled at the boy. "Seriously, man, I'm sorry."

He hugged his books and papers closer to his thin frame and pushed his glasses back up in place. "Like I said, it's okay."

Reid stuck out his hand. "I'm Reid."

The boy looked at his hand and then back up to his face. Finally, he shook Reid's hand. "I'm...Eugene."

Reid just nodded and smiled. "Cool, well I'm sorry I ran into you like that. I should have been paying attention."

"It happens."

"Yeah," Reid agreed. "Well, I'd stay and chat, but I'm supposed to be meeting someone right now and if I stay any longer I'll be late."

Eugene looked at him as if he was out of his mind. "You do know you're talking to me, right?"

It was Reid's turn to look at him as if he were out of his mind. "Uh, yeah."

"Oh," Eugene said, clearly surprised again, "well, then, I suppose I'll converse with you again soon."

Reid grinned. "Alright, man, see you around."

He gave Eugene a wave and climbed up the steps of Parry Hall. Eugene stared after him in amazement. Reid stuffed his hands in his pockets and wandered into the building. It was the first time he'd ever actually been in the building and he took in his surroundings. It was a lot warmer, a lot more lively than the rest of Spenser Academy. He could hear someone playing the piano, someone playing the violin, people talking in different rooms. People were laughing and singing. He felt at home in this building, he realized. He could belong on this side of the campus.

When Reid reached the dance studio, he was deep in thought. The music pounding from inside broke him out of his silent reverie and he peered in through the window. Someone passed in front of the door. It was a woman dressed in a leotard and leggings she was clapping her hands rhythmically, calling out, "one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight!"

The troupe of girls dancing in the room turned in unison, crouching in different poses as the music came to an abrupt halt. After several moments, they all stood breathing heavily. He spotted Laura in the middle of them, wiping her hair from her face. She followed some of the girls toward the wall with mirrors running the length of it and picked up a bottle of water. She took a long drink and set it back down on the wood floor. The woman walked toward them, hands clasped before her, and began speaking. Reid assumed she was the teacher. The girls busied themselves with gathering their things. Laura was the only one who paid attention attentively to what the woman was saying, nodding her head along slightly. After a few minutes, the girls dispersed and started toward the door, Reid jumped back and leaned up against the wall and waited.

The first girl stopped in the doorway when she saw him and several of the other girls bumped into her as they stopped short behind her. Her shock fading, the girl started moving again, eying him curiously and darting glances to the girls behind her. Several of the girls behind her giggled. He nodded and smiled and they giggled more. He waited patiently as they all left. Once he was sure the last of them had left the room, he stuck his head in the door. Laura was gathering her things.

"Hey," he called out. She looked up instantly. When she saw it was him, a smile lit her face. "Hey."

She grabbed the rest of her stuff and walked over. "I'm just gonna take a quick shower in the lock room and then I'll be right out."

He nodded and she smiled and he walked her to the locker room and then waited outside. She emerged fifteen minutes later in a floral dress and flats. She pulled on a gray sweater and Reid held his arm out to her. Laura took his arm and leaned her head on his shoulder as they walked. "So, how was your day," she asked, peering up at him. He gave her a one shoulder shrug. "Very boring. How about yours?"

"It was okay," she replied, "but dance practice was horrendous."

"Why?"

"We're taking too long on our turns," she explained. "it's only a half-second too long so it doesn't sound like much of a big deal, but it really does make a difference. It makes us seem sloppy and we're not."

"I swim so, I know. Time is everything."

He held open the front door for her and they exited together. There were several girls that Reid recognized from the dance studio gathered on the front steps and they all stopped what they were doing to watch as he and Laura walked out together. Reid shot them an annoyed look and draped his arm over Laura's shoulders. He didn't understand what the big deal was.

"I don't know what's playing, so what do you want to see," Laura asked, looking up at him. Reid hugged her closer and thought about it for a moment. "We'll figure it out when we get there. Besides, I think they show old movies this early in the day."

"How old are we talking? Jimmy Stewart old or Molly Ringwald old?"

He gave her an amused smile. "I think it's just whatever they feel like showing that day."

He opened the passenger door of his car for her and then got in the driver's side. As they drove, Laura fiddled with the radio until she reached a station that was playing "More Than a Feeling" by Boston and sang along quietly to herself as she stared out the window. Reid looked over at her and had to smile. She was nodding her head along with the song and tapping her knee to the beat. Feeling his eyes on her, she turned and blushed, laughing. Reid just smiled more and tapped his fingers on the steer wheel as he listened to her.

When they reached the movie theater, they decided they didn't want to see any of the new movies. The ticket girl told them that they had one more showing of "Rebel Without a Cause" that day, which they were both highly amused by. Deciding it was their best option. Reid bought the tickets and they went and got a coke and popcorn from the concession stand. Reid also bought a box of Sour Patch Kids. The theater was nearly completely vacant save for one man sitting in the fourth row. They settled in the fifth row from the back, directly in the middle and Reid ripped open the package of candy, popping several in his mouth at once.

Reid studied the theater absently. He hadn't gone to the movies in a very long time and since his last time, the theater had been remodeled extensively. The old, ratty theater seats had been replaced with newer ones that had armrests that folded back and the wall sconces looked different from what he remembered. It looked like they had redone the ornate molding on the balcony, too. "You know," Laura started beside him, "I don't even remember the last movie I saw."

"Me either. Do you remember the first?"

Laura popped a couple pieces of buttery popcorn in her mouth and nodded as she thought about it. "It was 'Toy Story'. I didn't like it that much."

Reid blinked at her in surprise. "You didn't like it?"

Laura ate a couple more pieces of popcorn and shook her head at him. "There weren't any princesses in it."

Reid couldn't help it, he started laughing-and loudly. Laura smacked his arm and he flinched away as he continued to laugh. She smiled at him despite herself. "Why is that so funny?"

"I honestly don't know," he laughed. The man in the front turned around and shushed him. Continuing to laugh, Reid yelled back at him. "Oh, come on! The movie hasn't even started yet. We've got like, five minutes!"

The man just sent him an annoyed look and turned back around to face the blank screen. Laura snorted into Reid's shoulder and he started laughing again; this time at the man, who turned back around and glared daggers at him.

"Oh, he's so mad," Laura whispered to him, trying to smother a giggle, "don't say anything else or we might get kicked out."

"I don't know if I can, but I'll try not to," Reid whispered back. The man's glare deepened as he stared them down and Laura hid her face and shook with laughter. "The longer he stares, the more I start laughing."

Noticing the screen flicker, Reid pointed to it. "It's starting, you'll miss it!"

"Reid," Laura reprimanded through her laughter. Reid just grinned at her and shoved the arm rest between them out of the way and pulled Laura to him. Laura snuggled into his side and took a sip of the drink they were sharing. Several minutes into the film Reid looked down at Laura. She was leaning against him, chewing on an orange sour patch as she watched the screen with rapt attention. She looked up when she felt his eyes on her and slowly smiled at him. She was the prettiest girl he had ever seen. Reid lowered his head to hers and captured her lips. She tasted salty and sour and sweet all at once. They continued to kiss for a while before stopping to finish the movie. Once it was over, they threw away their cup and popcorn tub and left hand in hand.

"We still have a little while if you want to walk around," Reid suggested. Laura placed her hand in his and nodded. As they made their way down the sidewalk, Reid found himself asking her something he hadn't planned on asking. "Did anyone say anything to you? You know, about what happened at the party?"

Laura's brow furrowed in confusion. "No, why?"

Reid shrugged nonchalantly. "Just wondering is all. People tend to talk a lot about things that aren't any of their business. I just wanted to make sure you didn't have to deal with that."

"Well, the way I look at it, someone's always going to have something to say about me and there's nothing I can do about it," Laura replied. She poked his side. "Besides, why do you care so much what anyone says?"

"I don't." He leaned against her. "But sometimes it gets to me."

"I don't have the time to let it get to me."

"You are the busiest person I have ever met."

She let out a laugh. "I'm not that busy."

Reid scoffed at her denial. "Uh, yeah, you are."

"Fine," she said, slitting her eyes at him, "then I guess I'm too busy to go out to dinner with you tomorrow night."

"Tomorrow night," Reid asked, raising an eyebrow. "I'm that good, huh?"

She rolled her eyes and smiled up at him. She bounced up suddenly and kissed his jaw. "Are you gonna take me out on another date tomorrow night, or what?"

He bent and kissed her, hugging her closer to himself. "I'm definitely taking you out on another date tomorrow night."

"Good," she managed a bit breathlessly after he kissed her. Reid just grinned and kissed her again, smiling against her lips as he felt her fingers curl into the fabric of his shirt. When they pulled apart she licked her lips and stared up at him wide eyed. "You..."

Reid raised an eyebrow, smiling, "Me..."

Laura eyed him for a moment before they both started laughing and continued on their way. Laura nudged his arm. "You're a smooth one, Garwin."

"I'm not that smooth," he said, looking down at her. It was meant as a joke, but Laura caught the sincerity. She took a hold of his hand and leveled her gaze on him. It was disarming. "I know."

They stopped walking again to stare at one another. Laura reached up and cupped his jaw. "You're not as smooth as everyone thinks you are. And you're definitely not a jerk like everyone thinks. You're just Reid. And I think that's the best thing you could ever be."

Reid stared dumbfounded at her for a moment. "You..."

She giggled softly and leaned up toward him. "Me..."

"There isn't one thing wrong with you, is there," Reid asked in amazement. Laura laughed at him. "Oh, there is plenty wrong with me!"

"Oh, what," Reid argued as he let her drag him down the street, "do you snore? That's it isn't it? You snore really loud, don't you?"

Laura whirled around and smacked his arm and he grinned. She smacked his arm one more time for good measure. "I do not snore."

"Then what exactly is wrong with you," Reid asked, shoving his hands in his pockets. Laura didn't say anything for a long while. They had managed to reach the outskirts of town and were walking along a small pier toward the shoreline. When they got to the end, they both leaned up against the railing and watched the water in contented silence. Laura set her chin her hand and leaned against Reid's shoulder. "I don't always do what I want to."

Reid turned to look at her. The wind was whipping her hair around her, but she didn't seem to mind. She had a thoughtful expression on her face as she started out at the water. "Sometimes, I don't want to dance, I don't want to play the piano, I don't want to paint, and I don't want to study. Sometimes, I just want to be. But I don't get to because I always do what I'm told."

"No, you don't," Reid said after a few moments and Laura glanced up at him. Reid returned her gaze and shrugged his shoulders and then gestured around them. "You're here. With me."

Laura watched him as he stared down at her intensely. She pushed herself in between him and the railing and leaned back. Reid immediately let his hands fall to her small waist and Laura brought her hands up to his chest. She bit her lips and she let her fingers travel up toward his collarbone and then laced them behind his neck. Reid slowly bent his head toward hers and Laura tilted her head up in response. It was chaste at first, but the longer they stayed entwined, the deeper it became. When they pulled apart, they were gasping for air. Wordlessly, Laura turned in his arms, pressing her back against his chest and Reid wrapped his arms around her firmly and they stood in silence on the pier, watching as the sun slowly began to disappear in the horizon. It was beautiful.

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A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Any and all criticism is welcome, so if you have something you'd like to say, please review and I will respond as soon as I can. Thank you for reading. The chapter is titled after a line in the song "1963" by Rachael Yamagata.


	4. All the World Will See

**I own nothing but the OCs I've created. Any and all criticism is welcome so please read, review and enjoy.**

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It had been a week since their first official date, two weeks since their first meeting, and Reid and Laura spent all their free time together. On their second date, Reid had surprised Laura by taking her to the diner they had gone to after his swim meet and since that second date, he had been bringing her to the diner every morning for breakfast. Laura had informed her parents that she would be eating breakfast at Spenser's in order to get a jump on her studies for the day. Her father had approved wholeheartedly. Laura doubted he would be so approving if he had actually known where she was going.

For the past week, they would sit just inside the diner by the window and watch the cars that passed by. For such a small town, Ipswich had many many commuters. Reid and Laura liked to try and figure out where the occupants were going based on what they were wearing and what they were driving. They also liked building forts and houses out of their toast and waffles.

"Oh, don't waste your whipped cream," Reid chided, nudging his plate toward her across the table, "give it to me and I'll eat it on mine."

"No," Laura said with a shake of her head as she spooned some on top of the half collapsed, syrup drenched waffle house she had managed to fashion, "it's going to be snow."

Reid reached across the table and grabbed her one and only maraschino cherry and held it up for her to see by the stem. "Oh, yeah, and what's this?"

She snatched it from him and set it down in front of the house in a puddle of syrup. "Fire Hydrant."

"Sure. What about your blueberries?"

"Bluebirds."

"Board meeting," Reid called out suddenly, jabbing a finger against the glass window. Laura followed his gaze. She frowned in thought and shook her head. "Divorce court."

"Why'sat?" Reid took a long drink of his coffee. Laura ate one of the blueberries on her plate. "Did you not see his face, he looked totally depressed."

"I would be too if I had to go to a board meeting," Reid snorted, pouring more syrup on his waffles and shoving a large bite in his mouth. Laura laughed as she watched him chew vigorously. "You are going to get syrup all over yourself."

"So," Reid laughed with her, "I'll just wipe it all off on you."

He reached toward her with an extremely sticky hand and Laura shoved him away. "No way, I prefer to eat my food, not wear it."

Reid laughed as she continued to swat at his hand. "Come on, I bet your teachers wouldn't mind a couple paintings with maple syrup on them."

"I bet your notes have food smudges all over them."

"I don't take notes," Reid said with a wave, "that's Tyler's job."

"Oh, how studious of you."

"Hey," Reid said in mock seriousness, pointing at her, "you knew I was a slacker going into this and now you're complaining?"

"What'd she finally come to'er senses," croaked someone close to the table. Laura laughed up at their waitress, a blue haired older woman named Mildred. Reid smirked at the older woman and she rolled her eyes. "Look, Stud, you may have this one fooled, but not me."

Laura clapped her hands as she laughed. Reid rolled his eyes, but smiled as he did so. "Look, Millie, now she's hysterical. Did you put something in her waffles again?"

"You must have some pretty strong willpower, cause he is quite the charmer."

"Yeah, I'll believe it when I see it," Millie intoned, writing out their bill, "he's been coming in here for years-ever since he was 'bout eight, ordering the same damn thing day in and day out and you're the first girl he's brought in here."

Millie rolled her eyes heavenward. "And as many times as you came in here with that other boy, I was starting to think you were batting for the other team."

Reid's mouth dropped open at that and Laura was almost in tears as she tried desperately to collect herself. Reid frowned at the waitress. "Very funny, Millie."

"Don't dish it if you can't take it," she remarked and then grinned at him, "you'll always be my favorite customer. Now do you and the misses want anything else?"

"More coffee would be great," Reid said with a nod and rapped his knuckles against the tabletop. Laura had managed to curtail her laughter and was sitting across from him with her arms folded, staring out the window. It was raining and it was cold out. She wrapped one hand around her coffee cup and said in a melancholy voice, "The world seems sad today."

Reid stared out the window as well, watching as the raindrops formed puddles along the curbs and in the dips in the road. "Maybe it is."

"I wonder what it's sad about."

Reid leaned back and stretched his arms over his head. "Probably sad for the same reason I am. There's school today."

"I like school," Laura said, running her fingers along the grooves in the top of the table. "It gives me something to do."

"Yeah, but there's so much more we could be doing than going to school," Reid replied, wiping his hands off on a napkin. "We could be on a plane to Bali right now."

"Why Bali?"

"I don't know. It was the first place to pop into my mind."

Millie returned with two Styrofoam containers of coffee and Laura thanked her politely. Reid tossed a large wad of money on the table and called loudly as they left the diner, "You're a doll, Millie!"

They hurriedly got into his car and rode the entire way to Spenser in silence. When they arrived, it was still raining out. The campus looked deserted. They both leaned back in the car seats and stared out the windshield, watching the rivulets of water trail random paths down the glass.

"This is nice," Laura said softly. Reid reclined his seat halfway and held out a hand to her. Laura crawled into his lap and brushed her hair behind her ear as she laid her head on his shoulder. They sat in silence for several minutes, just holding each other and listening to the rain.

"Reid."

"Hmm," he asked, tilting his head to look at her. He felt her shrug against him. "I just wanted to say your name. Hear you say something."

Reid cupped her cheek and kissed her and they looked back out at the rain. Someone splashed through a puddle as they ran toward the main building. Being in the car, in the quiet, made it seem as though they were separate from the world around them.

"The world doesn't seem sad from in here," Reid whispered. Laura kissed his jaw and he knew she understood. Sitting in the silence, cocooned from the cold with the soothing sound of the rain pattering on the car, Reid felt as if he were at peace. It was new to feel so content, so enamored with life.

"Some days are just perfect, some moments are just perfect," Laura said into the silence, echoing his thoughts. "Sometimes when you just stop for a second, you find them."

Reid tightened his hold on her and closed his eyes, inhaling the flowery scent of her hair. Laura nuzzled her nose against his neck and let out a pleased sigh. Neither could remember a time when it seemed as if everything had ceased and they just were.

After several minutes, they reluctantly left the shelter of the car and Reid escorted Laura to Parry Hall, her hand held firmly in his. Reid held open the front door for her and walked beside her, oblivious to the blatant stares. Laura hadn't noticed either. They stopped outside her first class. It was empty. They had thirty minutes until school actually started. Reid looked down at Laura. Water droplets were running down her bare arms. He wiped them up with his glove clad hands. "You cold?"

"No, I'm fine," she said with a shake of her head. She smiled and reached up to run her fingers through his hair. It was wet and it was beginning to stick up in places. "I think you got wetter than I did. You should change before class so you don't catch a cold."

Reid couldn't keep from grinning at the concerned edge in her voice. "I'll be okay. But I will change. Want me to meet you out front after school?"

She nodded. "I told my mother I would be studying after school and that Gia would drive me to my class at six."

"Okay, I'll meet you on the steps." He leaned down and kissed her. He turned and started to leave and then stopped and turned back around and kissed her again with a bit more force and a lot more passion, tangling his fingers in her hair as he gripped her waist. When he pulled away, Laura was staring up at him with a dazed expression and a wide smile on her face. Reid grinned and stuffed his hands in his pockets, leaning down just a bit so he could say in a low voice, "Needed a little more to get me through the day."

Laura smacked his arm with her binder, laughing, "Get out of here."

"I'm going," he laughed back as he backed up down the hall. Even though it was raining and it was cold and he had to spend all day in class, Reid decided it was a good day. Every day was a good day. When study hall rolled around after lunch, Reid settled down at one of the many tables in the library, preparing for his afternoon nap. He crossed his arms and rested his head in the crook of his elbow to better block out what little light the wall sconces and brass chandeliers had to offer. Hearing someone sit at his same table, he glanced up briefly. Tyler was sitting on the other end, already busy working on the homework they'd been given earlier in the day. Reid rolled his eyes and put his head back down. He would never understand how Tyler could be so enthralled with homework and taking notes. The boy lived for in-class essays and pop quizzes.

Reid had just about dozed off when he felt someone begin running their fingers through his hair. For once, he didn't appreciate the action. Even if it did feel nice. "Go away, person I don't know."

But they didn't stop. Reid was only slightly annoyed simply because whoever it was rubbing his scalp was very very talented and it was causing him to relax uncontrollably. "Seriously, stop touching me."

"Someone's a Grumpy Gus," his assailant giggled quietly and Reid grinned, turning in his seat to look up at Laura. "Shouldn't you be in class, young lady?"

"Nope," she said in a hushed voice as she continued to run her fingers through his hair. He was having a hard time concentrating. "I have lunch this period and Pogue told me this was your free period, so I thought I'd drop by and see what you were up to." She looked at the bare table top before him. "I see I've interrupted a very laborious study session."

"You know me, I'm a bookworm."

The few students sitting at the tables and carrels surrounding them began to whisper, leaning toward them surreptitiously, but as always, they were oblivious. Laura settled into the chair next to him and Reid leaned toward her, brushing his fingers through her hair. "So, where am I taking you tonight?"

"Well, you promised you'd take me to Disney World," she joked. He smirked at her. "Well, if you want to visit the happiest place on earth-"

Laura put a hand up to her mouth to keep from laughing. "Reid, I do not equate what's in your pants with childhood youth and innocence."

"Let's go see what's playing at the theatre. If we're lucky we might get some Hitchcock."

Laura turned her chair toward his and propped her legs up over Reid's knee, dropping her chin in her hand as they talked quietly. After agreeing that seeing a movie was their best option, Reid put his head back on the table and Laura continued to run her fingers through his hair. When the bell rang, Reid sat up and pulled her to him, kissing her. "Better get to class."

"So had you," she replied, pecking his cheek as they stood up. As they exited the library, someone tapped Reid on the shoulder. Seeing it was Aaron, Reid stopped and Laura waited for him outside.

"You up for some pool tonight," Aaron asked. Reid shook his head. "I've got plans."

Aaron punched his shoulder. "You've always got plans now."

Reid shrugged back at him and grinned. "I'm a social butterfly."

Aaron snorted and waved him off. "Alright. Later, man."

"Later, Abbott," Reid called as he walked over to Laura and threw his arm over her shoulder. Once he'd escorted her to the front doors of the building he turned back around and headed to his next class, Post-Civil war History, which he cared absolutely nothing about, but had to take because it was required. He was halfway down the hall when Caleb and Tyler fell in step with him. Tyler looked over at his friend curiously. "So, what's up with you and Laura?"

Reid cut his eyes over to him, "What do you mean?"

"Well, I mean, are you guys, like, serious or are you just doing what you normally do?"

"What do I normally do," Reid asked, fully knowing the answer and enjoying watching his younger friend try to fish for information as delicately as possible. Toying with Tyler was always amusing.

"I think he means screw her over," Caleb said bluntly. Reid scowled at the dark haired boy. _Way to be a killjoy, Caleb,_ Reid thought to himself. He just rolled his eyes at the pair. Why was it such a big deal to everybody? Was there some rule he had overlooked regarding whether or not he could date someone? And he had had a girlfriend for two weeks in eighth grade and gone on several dates with several different girls from the Boston Public, so it wasn't as if the concept was foreign to him. Any idiot could figure out how to go about dating another human being. So what if he was putting more effort into it for Laura? It just seemed like that was what you were supposed to do when you met a girl like Laura. You took her out to dinner and a movie and made sure to hold the door open for her. You made her laugh as much as possible and you made sure she had a good time so that you could take her out again the next night. And if you were lucky and everything worked out according to plan, you ended up with a golden retriever, a white picket fence, and three-point-five kids in the upper-class suburbs, something Reid had been thinking a lot about.

"Look, I really don't see how what's going on between Laura and I is any of your fucking business," he snapped, then paused when someone else fell in step on his left side. He nodded at them, "Hey, Eugene."

Eugene halted long enough to gasp out as he took a hit off his inhaler, "Hi, Reid. How are you today?"

"Pretty damn good, you?"

"Better now that my Calculus test is over," he wheezed out, scowling and pushing up his glasses while juggling his textbooks, "I knew I should have taken Trig this semester instead, but no..."

He suddenly brightened. "Laura told me you're in Calculus third period and that you're a whiz at it. You think you could help me out some?"

Reid nodded slowly, working out his schedule for the rest of the day in his head. "Yeah, man. Laura and I are going out after school, but she has to get home after that, so I can definitely help you out tonight. How about we meet up in the cafeteria at dinner rush and work on it after we eat?"

The look in Eugene's eyes was akin to admiration. "Really? Thanks so much!"

"No problem."

Eugene smiled and broke away from the three boys, disappearing into his next class. It took several moments for Reid to realize both Caleb and Tyler were staring at him as if he was some four-headed mythological beast that had just devoured a newborn in front of them. It was unsettling. "What?"

"Since when do you talk to Eugene Morton," Tyler asked rudely. Reid scowled at him. "Since I decided I could, should, and would."

"Why are you being a dick," Tyler asked suddenly, "I'm just asking because you've been acting really weird ever since you started putting the moves on Laura Hart."

If looks could have killed, Tyler Simms would have died a slow, agonizing death right then and there before bursting into flames. "I'm not acting weird and I'm not being a dick," Reid gritted out through clenched teeth as he fought to keep from balling his hands up into fists. "I'm just being me, so get over it and move on."

"Reid, Tyler didn't mean it that way," Caleb said, trying to calm his friend, "it's just that we're not used to your recent behavior and it's been hard getting used to."

"Well, get over it," Reid snapped as he pushed the door to their class open and then said just as seriously, "and I'm not putting the moves on anyone."

He really did resent them believing he was working Laura over. Did they really think that lowly of him? Deciding to ignore them, he stalked into the classroom and picked the farthest seat from them, which happened to be right next to Aaron Abbott. Aaron raised an eyebrow as he watched Reid take a seat and then slid his gaze over to Caleb and Tyler who were both looking very confused and very worried.

"Trouble in boy band paradise," Aaron asked, joking. Reid snorted as he pulled out his book and some paper. "Understatement of the fucking decade."

"Danvers pmsing again?"

"Oh yeah."

Aaron just shrugged. "I don't understand how you put up with it. Danvers is such a fucking stuck up prick."

Reid frowned. "He's not stuck up, he's just really really...serious."

"I'll take your word for it," Aaron replied as he flipped open his book to a random page. Reid smirked and shifted his gaze toward the teacher lazily, scribbling notes without really paying attention. History was the one class he had to take notes in otherwise he was completely lost. Tyler wasn't as good at taking notes in history as he was in other classes. Luckily for Reid, their teacher, Professor Matthews, didn't mind if they talked in class so long as they were quiet and they still paid attention. He was one of the more lax faculty members and Reid fully appreciated it as it made being in the class more bearable.

"Hey, Reid," Aaron started slowly, as if questioning whether or not he should continue. Reid glanced at him curiously. "Yeah?"

"Just so you know," Aaron said pointedly, "I get it."

Reid's brow furrowed and Aaron glanced down a couple rows pointedly. Reid followed his gaze and raised a dubious eyebrow when he saw a familiar, mousy brown head of hair. Penelope Allen was skinny, always had her hair up in a sloppy ponytail and, like Eugene, spent most of her time pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose. He also had it on good authority from her roommate that she wore glasses because she was allergic to contact lenses. She was also painfully shy. She had once cried when Tyler ran into her and apologized for doing so. Tyler had felt horrible for having made a girl cry.

"No shit," Reid breathed out in surprise. "Since when?"

"Since never," Aaron muttered grumpily to himself, slumping in his seat with a huff. "Every time I try talking to her, I give up because I'm afraid I'll make her cry."

"Yeah," Reid mused slowly, "maybe you should just try smiling at her when you see her? That way you don't have to say anything."

"Do you think that would actually work?"

"I have no clue, but that's the best I could come up with," Reid admitted, "I pretty much play it by ear. Laura's not shy, so I don't have to worry about making her feel bad or anything."

"Oh," Aaron said absently and then left it at that. Reid was surprised and pleased when Aaron didn't try to ask anything about Laura. Aaron tapped his knee with his pen as he continued to stare at Penelope. "D'you think she'd go out with me? I mean seriously?"

Reid made a face and shrugged. "I don't know. I don't see why not."

Aaron looked skeptical. "What would we talk about?"

"I don't know."

Aaron worried his lower lip. "What do you and Laura talk about?"

Reid frowned. "Nothing. Everything. I don't know. We don't really say all that much. We just talk."

Aaron returned his frown. "That makes absolutely no sense."

Reid just shrugged. "Makes sense to me."

And it did make sense to him. Nobody else had to get it; just him and Laura and that was fine. Aaron just raised an eyebrow and didn't say more. By the time school was over, Reid was tense and his mood had lowered severely. Avoiding Tyler and Caleb had taken its toll on him. He didn't like avoiding two of his closest friends, but he disliked their low opinions of him even more.

He was busy wallowing in self-pity when Laura bounded down the steps toward him. She paused halfway down, studying his brooding profile from a distance. After a moment, she stepped in front of him and cocked her head to the side thoughtfully. "You don't look too happy."

Reid shrugged and tried to smile. "It's nothing."

"You're a bad liar," she said quietly, poking him in the stomach. She sat down next to him. He sighed out heavily before pinning her with an intense stare. "Do you think I'm trying to put the moves on you?"

Laura actually smiled at him in amusement. "Are you," she asked, though he could tell by the tone of her voice that she didn't in fact believe he was. He simply shook his head and Laura grabbed his hand and pulled him up with her. "Come on. We don't have time to mope. We're going on a date."

They were halfway to his car when Laura looked up at him shyly and said in a quiet voice, "I have something I've been meaning to ask you."

Reid bit his lip nervously. "Oh, yeah?"

She nodded and bit her lip as well. In that moment, she looked more nervous than he did. Turning toward her, he gently rested a hand on her shoulder her to bring her to a stop. "What is it?"

Laura dropped her gaze to their entwined fingers and then darted a glance up at him. "Well, this Saturday is my last riding competition. I was wondering if maybe you'd like to come?"

Reid blinked in surprise. The idea that she was nervous over asking him to come watch her, made his chest constrict. "What about your parents?"

"They can't come and I," she paused as she bit her lip harder and shrugged, trying not to look quite as nervous as she was, "I'd rather have you there."

He knew he was smiling like a complete idiot, but it really couldn't be helped. Knowing Laura enjoyed his company above anyone else, was about the best feeling in the world. "What time does it start?"

"Well, see, that's the thing. It starts really early; around nine. So, if you don't want to come, I understand-" Reid cut off her nervous ramble by kissing her on the mouth softly. "I'll be there. Is it going to be here on campus or..."

"It'll be here, so you don't have to get up quite so early."

He rolled his eyes. "I could care less about what time it is, so long as it means I get to spend more time with you."

He blushed when he realized how completely corny he sounded, but it seemed Laura enjoyed corny because she leaped into his arms and proceeded to rain kisses over his face. "You are so sweet," she cooed, cupping his face in her hands. Reid rolled his eyes, grinning despite himself. "I suppose."

She kissed his jaw. "And you're adorable."

"Sweet and adorable," he questioned before whining, "you make me sound like I'm a puppy."

"You are," she said seriously, "you're my puppy."

He raised an eyebrow, but didn't respond. Laura smirked as she kissed him again. "You're the cutest puppy in the world."

Reid rolled his eyes. "You're lucky I like you."

Laura smiled at that. "I know," she said, giving him a kiss. Reid watched her climb into the car, dazed. "You need to stop doing that."

Laura just laughed.

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A/N: Sorry for the lack of updates. Life has been monotonous. I've had this chapter finished for over a month. I just never got around to posting it. I'm a terrible person. The next chapter will be mainly about Reid coming to the riding competition, but also about his interaction with Eugene and Laura's interaction with her friends. This chapter was mainly just to focus on the fact that Reid is serious about Laura and that he's not a jerk like everyone thinks. Reviews are always appreciated as is any and all feedback, positive or negative. Chapter title is a lyric from Oasis' "What's the Story Morning Glory".


	5. I won't Try to Fight in the Weekend Wars

**I own nothing.  
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**Reid was exhausted. After helping Eugene with Calculus for the second time that week-which had involved a lot of uncomfortable staring from students at different tables-the two had begun to talk and Reid was more than surprised by how much he had in common with Eugene Morton. Eugene enjoyed playing "Halo 2" and "Call of Duty", just like he did, and they both enjoyed watching any and all movies involving zombies. They spent an hour afterward hypothesizing the best escape route from Ipswich to Alaska should there ever be a zombie apocalypse. When Eugene pulled out his copy of Max Brook's "Zombie Survival Guide", Reid couldn't have been more surprised. "Zombie Survival Guide" and "World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War" were admittedly the only books Reid had read in the past three years that he had retained any information on. He'd told Eugene as much adding, "How is Shakespeare supposed to help me keep the living dead at bay?"

After that, they'd gotten into a heated discussion centered on their mutual disappointment with the "Resident Evil" movie franchise. Reid hadn't gone to sleep until well after two in the morning, but he would be damned if he was going to be late to Laura's riding competition. He got up at 7:30 and got ready and then went to the cafeteria to get breakfast when something out of the ordinary happened.

It wouldn't have been so peculiar if it hadn't caused a domino effect, but it did. After he'd paid for his breakfast, he'd turned to scan the large room for a quiet place to eat-it was simply too early to have to deal with the useless chatter and gossip of Spenser-when Tyler had waved from their usual lunch table on the left side of the room next to Aaron Abbot's table just as Eugene waved him over from his table on the left side, which was crowded with students that most of the other kids picked on. Reid looked from one table to the other. Tyler, Kate, and Sarah were all staring at him curiously, confused as to why he hadn't started over to them. Eugene had already gone back to eating his breakfast, indicating that he was perfectly fine with whatever decision his new friend came to. Aaron Abbot was watching him intently.

Reid decided he didn't want to deal with questions about why he was awake so early and he definitely didn't want anymore questions about Laura. He just wasn't ready to have to share her with anyone yet. It sounded selfish, but he didn't want his nosy friends buzzing around her. He suspected she got enough of that on her own from her friends as well, though they'd seemed to let up quite a bit. The redhead, Gia, had even managed to smile at him last time they'd crossed paths on campus.

His mind made up, Reid had strode over to Eugene's table and dropped his tray on the table across from the bespectacled boy. Eugene smiled up at him. "You going to Laura's riding competition? It's the last one this year."

"Yeah, she asked me to go. I don't really know the rules or anything, so I don't think I'll get it," Reid replied, draining half his Styrofoam cup of coffee. Eugene shrugged. "I'm allergic to horses, so I can't go."

Reid felt someone drop down in the seat next to him and there was a very noticeable lull in conversation through out the cafeteria. To say the expression on Eugene's face was absolute and utter shock would be an understatement as he stared wide eyed at Aaron Abbot. Aaron merely nodded at him and turned to Reid. "Are you ever going to come hang out at Nicky's again?"

Reid shrugged. "Kinda found something that's way more interesting than whipping your ass at pool."

Aaron rolled his eyes and then looked over at Eugene, studying him curiously. "You any good at pool?"

Eugene stared at him for a moment, unable to speak. Recovering himself quickly, he shoved his glasses up the bridge of his nose and answered back, "I've never played. However, I would like to try. Do you guys remember that video they showed us in Geometry with Donald Duck? He played pool in that."

Aaron grinned. "Oh, yeah! That was so weird."

Reid checked his cellphone for the time. It was just coming up on 8:30. He ate the rest of his breakfast in silence, only really half listening to their conversation. He was brought back from his silent musings by Eugene waving a hand in his face. Aaron chuckled. "Don't bother. He's daydreaming about his girlfriend."

"Shut up, jackass," Reid muttered grumpily. To his chagrin, both Aaron and Eugene snickered. Eugene rolled his eyes in a stunning display of confidence. "Lighten up, Reid. We're just messing around. If I were you, I'd be just as twitterpated over Laura."

Aaron laughed. "Twitterpated. I haven't heard that since I was ten."

"Seriously, Laura's like the coolest girl ever," Eugene continued on, "she's really nice. How many people can you say that about and have it be completely true?"

Reid nodded. He'd never once witnessed Laura say a single bitchy thing to anyone; even when she had the right to. He figured he had enough of a temper for the both of them.

"Well, I gotta go or I'll be late," he said, standing up. Aaron grinned up at him. "You're whipped."

"And you're jealous," Reid shot back with a smirk, shoving his shoulder, "Later, boys."

They waved him off, laughing. Reid finally turned his attention on the room at large; everyone was looking around the room and over to the table he'd just left and he could practically hear what they were all thinking: _Reid Garwin, Aaron Abbot, and Eugene Morton hang out together? What is the world coming to?_ Well, they could all shove it. Didn't they realize that soon it wouldn't matter who he sat with, who he talked to? It was their last year of high school. They were going to college soon. None of this would matter.

By the time he reached the stables, a crowd had gathered in anticipation of the show. He noticed that most of them were parents of the competitors. Reid watched the majority of the show in boredom. In truth, Reid only enjoyed swimming because he participated. He absolutely hated watching sports. They were so boring. He didn't understand how people could watch other people run around, sweating and tired from all the physical exertion and not be bored out of their skulls. How on earth could it possibly be fun watching someone chase after a ball, swim through water, or ride an animal? Being a participant was much more exciting than being an observer.

When Laura's name was called, he paid attention. He thought about cheering but decided against it; it seemed like only golf claps would be appropriate for this type of sport and he wasn't one for golf clapping. Reid couldn't stop grinning. She looked so cute in her uniform, sitting atop her horse, the look of extreme concentration on her face. She bent down and patted her horse's neck and for the first time Reid noticed it wasn't Bucephalus. While it looked a great deal like Bucephalus, it was quite as large.

Watching Laura as her horse jumped over the obstacles on the course was terrifying, but fun. He spent the entire time watching ever move she made. Maybe it wasn't so bad being an observer when you were watching someone you knew when you liked them a lot.

"Mr. Garwin," Someone greeted and Reid turned in surprise to see Provost Higgins approaching him. Provost Higgins shook his hand in greeting an nodded toward the competition ring. "I believe this is the first time I've seen you at one of our sporting events...one you weren't competing in, that is."

"I heard this was the last one this year and I figured I should show up and show some support," Reid answered easily. Provost Higgins nodded, smiling. He gestured toward Laura. "Yes, I'm here to watch my niece. To be quite honest watching her makes me nervous. I'm always afraid her horse is going to throw her."

Reid was having a hard time trying not to show his shock. "That's your niece? I didn't know you had any family that attends Spenser."

If Provost Higgins had noticed, he didn't show it. He simply smiled proudly as he continued to watch. "Yes, she's my only niece and I don't have any nephews or children of my own. I was the career driven one in the family."

"She's really good."

"That's Laura for you," Provost Higgins mused with a chuckle, "when she finds something she enjoys, she works at it until she's one of the best. She has incredible drive. Hopefully, she won't let it stop her from experiencing life to the fullest."

Reid wasn't exactly sure what he was supposed to say in response. He wasn't used to the Provost talking to him in such a sentimental tone. Usually, when Provost Higgins spoke to him, he sounded annoyed and exasperated-mainly because he was having to discipline Reid for acting out in class. _I'm really going to have to stop getting sent to his office so much, now_, Reid thought to himself, _I definitely don't want to be on Higgins' bad side if Laura's his niece_.

Provost Higgins bid him goodbye and wandered off to talk to someone else; Reid assumed it was either a parent of one of the other competitors or another faculty member. Once Laura finished her run, Reid resigned himself to a golf clap, though he did roll his eyes and watched as Laura dismounted and waited for her scoring.

"Hey, Reid!" Reid cringed at the high-pitched volume of Kate's voice and reluctantly turned around. He couldn't keep himself from scowling when he realized the entire gang was walking toward him. Tyler looked uncomfortable as he met Reid's heated gaze. It was clear he knew that Reid felt they were intruding.

"What are you guys doing here," he asked once they finally reached him. Kate smirked at him triumphantly. "I cornered Eugene on the way back from breakfast and he told me I'd find you here. We thought we'd come keep you company."

"I'm fine. Thanks," he replied, though it came a bit harsher than he meant. Caleb raised an eyebrow. "You sure about that? Horses aren't really your thing."

"I'm branching out," Reid said coolly, "besides, Mom's always going on and on about how much she likes horses. Thought I'd see what all the fuss is about."

"Right," Caleb said disbelievingly. He opened his mouth to say more, when he was interrupted by an icy voice, "Hey, Garwin, how's it going?"

Reid's head snapped to the left and he instantly questioned his luck when he came face to face with Gia and Melissa. Both were brandishing Starbucks cups. Gia surveyed the group behind him, her expression unreadable. Melissa flicked her blond hair over her shoulder and smiled in a seemingly friendly manner. Gia finally looked at him, her expression suddenly decisive. "You wanna come sit with us?"

"Absolutely." He started toward to follow the two girls when Caleb put a hand on his shoulder. He stopped in his motions and frowned up at the older boy. "What?"

Caleb seemed taken aback by his hostile, one word response. "Nothing, it's just...you haven't been around a lot."

"I'm branching out," Reid repeated. "I'll see you guys later."

He started after them again, when Sarah called out, "Wait!"

Reid rolled his eyes and turned back around. Sarah jogged up to him, wringing her hands together. She stared up at him solemnly. "Reid," she began, "what my idiot boyfriend is trying to say is that we miss having you around." Her admission stunned Reid into silence. She smiled up at him reassuringly. "I just thought you should know."

Reid nodded reluctantly and squeezed her arm. "I'll see you later, Sarah."

Sarah smiled up at him and nodded. "You better."

He grinned and chuckled a little. "Alright, I get it," he scoffed, waving her off as he followed after Gia and Melissa. When he caught up with the two, he asked. "Did she win? I missed it. No one would shut up."

"No, she didn't win, Mr. Popularity," Gia answered dryly, "she scored good, but nobody beats Hasting's Equestrian team. We rock at swimming they rock at riding."

"That's bullshit," Reid muttered. Melissa grinned at him knowingly. "Don't worry. Laura's not as big on riding as she is on dancing. If it had been a recital gone wrong, She would have a total meltdown. I bet right now she's busy grooming her horse. She should be out soon."

"Laura only really rides competitively because her Dad wanted her to have something else she could put on her college applications," Gia informed him, "Mr. Hart has a real hard-on for anything that will make the family name bigger and better than it is."

"The minute he found out Laura enjoyed riding horses, he started putting her into any show he could," Melissa put in, "the guy pushes her too hard."

"Yeah," Gia agreed sadly, sipping her coffee, "you know, she used to be really into photography. The minute her Dad started pushing it, she said she didn't like it anymore just so he would stop."

"She's way too busy," Reid sighed out. Gia studied him a moment before agreeing, "Yeah, she is. No down time."

Melissa smiled sunnily in Gia's direction as if she were incredibly proud of what the girl had just said. She simply shrugged at Reid when he looked at her questioningly. He shook his head in confusion. He would never understand these two girls. They were incredibly cryptic with him.

Reid zoned out at that point, following the two girls mindlessly until- "Son?"

He blinked in surprise as his father came into his line of vision. Michael Garwin was a hard man whose very purpose in life it seemed was to be a successful prosecutor. He had followed in the footsteps of his very own father, Joseph Garwin, who had, when he was younger, followed in the footsteps of his own father, Reginald Garwin. It was Michael Garwin's belief that Reid would carry on the family tradition. However, he was less than pleased with the man he believed Reid was becoming.

"Sir," Reid nodded obediently, earning surprised glances from the two girls standing next to him. "I'm surprised to see you here."

"I could say the same...Sir." He looked at his companions. "This is Gia and Melissa. Gia, Melissa, this is my father, Michael Garwin."

Both girls nodded politely, their smiles faltering when they noticed the disproving look in his eyes. He turned his gaze to his son and the smile he graced his only child with was demeaning. Reid averted his gaze to the ground, finding solace in focusing on the deadened grass beneath his feet.

"I see you're making the most of your time," Michael Garwin, said tonelessly. Reid flinched minutely at the underlying innuendo; he flinched more when he heard Gia's swift intake of breath. "Actually, Sir, I just came to enjoy the competition. I've never been to one."

"I find them dull," Mr. Garwin replied, sounding bored. "I really only came to see if this _institution_ is putting the money I donated to good use. Which reminds me; your mother mentioned your grades have improved, as has your behavior." Reid looked up to meet his father's scrutinizing gaze. Michael Garwin studied his son as if he were an ant under his magnifying glass. He tilted his head in a manner that suggested he could care less. "I suppose this means I haven't squandered quite as much money on you as I'd thought."

"Well, enjoy the competition," he said with a smile as he walked off, leaving the three teenagers in awkward silence. Melissa's gaze darted frantically between the elder Garwin's back and the younger's down-turned face.

"I think I just met the President of Triple 'A'," Gia snarled finally, glowering after Michael Garwin. Both Reid and Melissa sent her a questioning look. Gia smirked at Reid. "American Asshole Association."

Reid cracked a small grin, but didn't reply. Melissa laughed. "Your Dad is a piece of work."

"No wonder you're such a cad," Gia laughed loudly, "Oh man!"

Reid chuckled humorlessly. "You get used to it."

The two girls settled down, eying him curiously, but Reid merely smiled. "So, where's Laura?"

* * *

Reid chalked it up to woman's intuition. That was the only explanation Reid had for the way Laura responded to him when he met her next to the stables. She wrapped her arms around him, pressing several soft kisses to his jaw as she nuzzled his neck. She hadn't asked him what was wrong or if he was okay. She just smiled up at him with a knowing look on her face. And it had helped. Even if he wasn't good enough for his father, he was apparently good enough for her and she was the more important of the two as far as he was concerned.

Her eyes had lit up in the moment he'd realized he really didn't give a damn what his father thought-what anyone thought-because he was going to do what he wanted to do. "There you are," she whispered breathlessly, bringing her hand up to cup his cheek. He raised an eyebrow. Laura blushed though her eyes continued to shine brightly as she spoke. "You. You get this look on your face-in your eyes, in that smirk of yours-when you figure out something important or when you're about to do or say something only you would say or do." She bit her lip as she grinned. "It wasn't there a minute ago, but now it is. I like seeing you, not who everyone else sees because...that'll never be you. And I'm glad it never will be."

Reid tilted his head to the side, unable to come to terms with her words. "How," he asked, confused, "how do you see it?"

Laura pursed her lips, her expression just as serious as his. "Because you wanted me to. Because it's not easy to try and be what everyone wants you to be. Always pulling you in different directions until you're so knotted up inside sometimes you really are what they see. Sometimes, you're not you because it's easier to be who they want you to be because if you are you feel-"

"Important," he finished for her, "you matter, you're not just there because they have to put up with you."

She nodded solemnly. "You wanted me to see you because you saw me. It's not that hard to figure out, Reid."

"We're so different we're exactly the same." A smile blossomed on her face at his observation. "That's right."

Reid cupped her face in both hands and kissed her for all she was worth and was gratified to find that the sentiment was returned in kind. Things slowly began to click into place in his head, as his lips pressed against hers. This was what he cared about. Her opinion in relation to his. He cared about how she saw him, about how he saw himself. It was finally starting to sink in. It really didn't matter that all his friends thought he was going to screw her over in the end because he knew he wasn't and she knew he wasn't. It didn't matter if his father didn't think he was worth much. Laura thought he was worth something, knew he was worth something, and he did, too. And if anyone decided that their opinions mattered, then he'd just tell them where to shove it-something he should have been doing all along.

He knew where Laura stood and that was next to him. When they pulled apart, he could tell by the look in her eyes that he was right where he needed to be. It suddenly made sense why he hadn't ever bothered with a girl seriously before-why he'd never taken anything seriously before. Nobody, himself included, had taken him for what he really was. They'd taken him at face-value. He was a spoiled rich kid with good looks who was better at getting into trouble than anyone else. He was loud and obnoxious and rude. But that wasn't all he was and Laura was the only person to really see that about him.

"I have something very important to ask you," he said after a moment, realizing that he needed to do something about their relationship immediately. She pulled away as well, giving him a small smile. "Shoot."

"I know we've only been dating for a few weeks, but I was kinda hoping you'd want something more serious," he said, looking up at her questioningly, his expression frustrated as he fumbled to fully articulate. "Like, you'd want to be...you know..."

"Wow, this is pathetic," Laura sighed, smiling at him in amusement. She put a comforting hand on his forearm. "Reid, do you want to be my boyfriend?"

He smiled wryly at her, blushing slightly. "Well, since you asked so nicely."

Laura burst out laughing. They left the stables laughing, though it was mostly Laura laughing as she tried to explain how riding competitions were scored. "I don't think I'll ever get it. Mostly, it's because-and no offense-it's completely boring, so I don't really care."

Laura shrugged. His indifference to competitive horseback riding didn't offend her in the least. Him coming to watch her compete even though he didn't care one bit about the sport made her heart feel like it was yo-yoing up and down between her throat and her stomach in a way that was pleasurably painful because she knew it meant he cared about her. It was like the way he held her hand. He held onto her firmly yet carefully, as if he were trying to give her some semblance of space while remaining as close to her as possible.

Reid sent her a sidelong glance. "So I ran into your Uncle."

Laura blinked up at him in surprise. He smirked at her. "Don't worry; I didn't say anything."

"I didn't think you did," she admitted, looking embarrassed. "I'm just surprised you're not mad that I didn't tell you."

"Why didn't you," he asked. He really wasn't mad. He was merely curious. She frowned. "Most people treat me differently when they find out I'm the Provost's niece. It's like they think I'm going to tattle on them for doing anything that's against the rules when I wouldn't. And, I didn't want you to feel uncomfortable around him."

Reid rolled his eyes and gave her a look. "I know you're not gonna snitch on me. Ever. And it's already uncomfortable to be around him. He's the Provost. And the only time I ever really talk to him, it's because I got sent to his office."

Laura looked up at him ruefully. "Such a troublemaker," she joked, pinching his cheek lightly for affect. Reid laughed and shoved her hand away. "You love it."

"Not really," she sniffed, trying to sound indifferent, though he caught the look she sent him. He smirked. "You do, too. You think it's cute."

Laura scoffed, shaking him off and turning away slightly. "Hardly," she replied in a seemingly clipped tone before she started away from him, leaving the crowd surrounding the competition and starting toward the mostly deserted campus.

"Uh huh," Reid replied slowly, grinning as he followed her. She was playing hard to get, flirting with him. He liked and he could tell she knew it, which made it even better. He snagged her hand pulled her under the canopy of branches, pressing her up against the trunk of the willow tree and leaned down over her, bracing his hands on either side of her head as he smirked down at her in most suggestive way possible. Laura looked surprised, but not upset. In fact, she looked far from upset. "I think," he said lowly, "you like it a lot."

He bent closer to her, dropping his gaze to her mouth to watch her bite her lip, before looking up into her dark eyes. They were smoldering. "I think maybe, you think it's hot."

Laura raised an eyebrow and opened her mouth to object, but he didn't give her a chance. Reid covered her mouth with his, grinning when she moaned into his mouth and wrapped her arms around his torso. He dropped a hand down to her hip, pulling her forward so that her body was flush against his and Laura complied willingly, stepping into him. Reid groaned into her when he felt her tiny hands slip under his shirt and land on his stomach, traveling up to his chest and around to his back. He pulled away breathlessly. "Baby, you're killing me."

She shook her head leaning up into him so she could plant several hot kisses on his neck. "Hm-mmm," she disagreed, giggling slightly when he groaned as she found his pulse point. "Cut it out. This isn't very ladylike, you know."

Laura pulled away and grinned up at him. "Who said I was ladylike?" She leaned up and pecked him on the lips. "Now, let's get out of here."

Reid watched her begin to saunter off with raised eyebrows. "And where are we going," he asked, catching up to her easily in a few strides. When they reached his car, Laura leaned up against the driver's side door. "Marblehead."

His face contorted in confusion. "What's at Marblehead?"

"Nothing really," Laura responded picking imaginary lint off his shirt. "I just thought it would be a nice place for us to go."

"Yeah, but it gets pretty windy up there."

"We'll be fine," she assured him. Reid watched her as she got into the passenger side of the car, his gaze suspicious. She was up to something. He could feel it. Rolling his eyes when all she did was grin at him, he opened the door and slid into the driver's seat, turning the ignition. All through out the drive to Marblehead, Reid tried to catch her eye, trying to get some hint out of her as to why she'd want to go to a place as boring as the cliffs. Nobody went there unless there was a party and it was getting too cold for parties. And, truth be told, Reid really didn't feel like loitering around the cliffs staring at the ocean.

However, Laura kept her gaze trained on the world outside the car, as if her eyes were searching for something. When they reached Marblehead, she leaned back in her seat and pinned him with a self-satisfied smirk. Reid just looked at her, his expression confused as he unbuckled his seatbelt and reached for the door handle. Just as he moved to get out, Laura grabbed him by the front of his shirt, jerking him back into the car and causing the door to shut. "Where do you think you're going?"

"Uh," Reid started stupidly, "I don't know. You haven't told me why you wanted to come here in the first place."

Laura's eyes were full of laughter. "You're so cute when you're confused. Why do you think I wanted to come here in the first place?"

After several moments of silence, Laura finally took pity on him. She unbuckled her seatbelt and, with a pointed look, climbed into the backseat. Reid's eyebrows rose up clear to his hairline. "Wait, you wanted to come all the way out here for that?"

Laura grinned wryly at him. "Well, you have a roommate and I didn't think it'd be too fun to either have to kick him out or have him walk in. And we can't go to my house for obvious reasons. I'm just surprised it took you this long to figure it out."

Reid just stared at her. She was unbelievable. When he made no move toward her, Laura giggled and grabbed him by the shirtfront for the second time, dragging him halfway into the backseat. "Woman," Reid yelped, fumbling into the seat next to her. He gave her a reproving look. "You're being very forward."

"Do you want me to stop," she asked, her eyes wide and innocent. Reid just smiled, holding his arms out toward her. "C'mere." Not needing to be told twice, Laura delicately climbed into his lap, straddling him.

Reid was a little nervous. Though they'd had sex before, this time was different. They weren't at someone's house, at some party, with loud music drowning out and dulling the moment. It was just the two of them. They really and truly were alone. And while Reid had been with plenty of girls, he knew that just because they said they liked it, didn't particularly mean it was true. Then again, Laura hadn't voiced any complaints. Still, he didn't want to upset her or do anything that she felt was out of line. But it didn't stop him from sliding one hand up her skirt to rest on her thigh. And it certainly didn't stop him from sliding his other hand under her top as he nibbled her collarbone. The way she was moaning was definitely helping him overcome his nervousness quickly.

Laura pulled away, giving him an annoyed look and it took him a second to realize that she'd been tugging at his shirt for quite a while. Shooting her a grin for her apparent eagerness, Reid pulled it off and tossed it in the front seat and pulled her back to him. Laura sighed into his mouth. She had begun to shiver and at first Reid thought it was because she was cold, but it dawned on him that the real reason she was shivering was because he was touching her. He was also very aware of the fact that he was no better. Her hands felt as though they were searing his already burning skin.

Afterward, they dressed and walked over to the cliffs. Reid flopped down on the ground carelessly, letting his legs dangle freely over the edge. Laura peered over the edge for a moment before sitting down beside him carefully as he flipped open his Zippo and lit a cigarette. He looked over at her and she grinned, knocking her shoulder into his. He grinned back and draped an arm around her.

"I've been thinking about asking my Dad if I can stop taking so many classes," she said suddenly, interrupting the stillness surrounding them. He looked her over, surprised. "Really? Why? I thought you liked all those classes."

"I do," she replied honestly, "but it never leaves me any time for anything else. You know, I have to write down everything into a planner? How many people do you know our age that write down their schedule in a planner? And it's not just my classes I write in there. I have to write down when I'm meeting Gia or Melissa or you and I don't like it. I don't like that I have to schedule everyone I care about in."

He just nodded, though he frowned. "I like the thought of spending more time with you, but not if it means you have to quit going to classes you enjoy."

"I don't enjoy them as much as I enjoy spending time with you and my friends. I feel like I'm missing out on so much. I feel...I guess I'm beginning to realize how lonely I was."

"Do you think your Dad will let you," Reid asked after a few minutes of silence. Laura let out a heavy sigh. "No, I don't. Maybe I'm just...maybe this is just wishful thinking."

Reid kissed the top of her head in reassurance and tightened his hold on her. "Hey," she said in a quiet voice, turning her face up to look at him, "you know I like best about you?"

"What," he asked curiously, puffing on his cigarette. He really did want to know. She leaned her head on his shoulder. "Everything," she breathed out finally. They smiled at one another for a moment and he leaned down and kissed her, making sure to pour as much affection into the gesture as possible. Laura plucked the cigarette from Reid's finger tips and tossed it over the edge. He chuckled into her mouth. "Do we need to go back to the car?"

When she nodded against him, he pulled her up, swinging her into his arms. Laura squealed, the exuberant sound ending on a laugh. Reid grinned down at her, completely oblivious to the fact that it may have come off a bit softer than he'd meant. Laura didn't tease him for it, but instead wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her mouth to his. As far as Reid was concerned, life couldn't get any better.

* * *

It was dark outside when Laura got home. Her father was sitting in the kitchen eating a bowl of Cheerios. The doctor had informed him that he had high cholesterol. He grimaced after every bite. When Laura entered the kitchen he paused, spoon halfway to his mouth and studied her. She was standing in front of the refrigerator, looking over its contents with a small smile on her face and her eyes were slightly unfocused.

"Where have you been," he asked. Laura jumped and turned to look at him before opening the crisper and pulling out an apple. "With Gia and Melissa," she replied, pursing her lips in serious thought. She met his gaze questioningly. "Aren't you going to eat dinner with us?"

He scowled. "The Doctor said no more red meat." Laura frowned along with him, knowing how put out he was by this. He loved steak. She settled across from him at the table, sitting her apple before her and fidgeting in her seat. She bit her lip, chewing thoughtfully. "Daddy," she started hesitantly, "I-I don't want to take anymore extracurricular classes." She had let it out in a hurried rush, her face burning in embarrassment and anticipation. Henry Hart stared at his daughter long and hard. She looked so hopeful, but he had to think about her future. "Sweetie, I know you don't get to spend much time with your friends-"

"It's not just that," she interrupted, pushing herself to her feet abruptly, realizing all too late just how defensive she had gotten. But she couldn't back down, not now. "Daddy, I can't keep doing this. I only really have two friends, I never get to go to the mall or to the movies. I have to schedule in time for my friends and I'm only in high school-"

"Yes, but you know how important all this is. You may be too busy, but do you really want to sacrifice your chances at getting into Juliard?"

"I'll get into Juliard," Laura responded surely, "Juliard will always be there. But high school won't. My friends won't be with me when I'm in Juliard. Gia wants to go to Brown and Melissa might end up on the west coast. I won't ever get to see them and-" she cut herself short when she realized she'd been about to bring up Reid. "I'll be all alone."

"No, you'll make friends with the other students at Juliard."

"But Daddy-"

"No, Laura!"

The heat that filled her face was from anger and not embarrassment. "This isn't fair. It's not fair for you to push me so hard. I can't keep doing this! It's not enough for me anymore. What point is there for me to be successful if I have no one to share it with? If I'm not happy with it? I won't be! I won't be happy with just half of my life because that's what it will be, a half-life." In a sudden burst of irrationality Laura cried out, "Disney World! I want to go to Disney World!"

Henry stared up at his daughter, gaping like a fish and at a loss for words. He'd never heard her declare a want or need more passionately. "Disney World?"

"Yes, Disney World," she hollered, just as her mother ran in from the living room, where she had been reading. "Almost every child goes to Disney World or Disneyland, or-or Six Flags, but I never got to. I've never been to an amusement park or the circus or the fair! I'm seventeen and I don't get to do anything that teenagers are supposed to be out doing!"

"But Laura, you know the kinds of things most kids your age are out doing," he countered, his surprise at her outburst having melted into frustration, "you went to that party. You saw how destructive some of that behavior can be."

"No, I didn't," she snapped. "Nobody was hurt, we all had fun, and then we all went home! I had more fun at that party than I'd had in the past three years!"

"Laura I'm not letting you throw your chances at a successful career away just because you've gotten it into your head that it's okay for you to act like a child!"

"Henry-" Diane attempted to cut in, hoping to dissolve some of the tension in the room. Henry pinned his wife with a hard look. "No." He turned his attention back to his daughter. "As far as I'm concerned, this argument is over. Now, I'm your father and I know what's best for-"

"No, you don't," Laura said with finality, her tone even. Sadness leaked into her voice. "You don't even know me. But how could you? You never even tried. How can I ever expect you to know what's best for me if you don't even know me?"

The silence that followed was deafening. "You always tell me I'm such a great dancer, such a great pianist, such a great sculptor. But do you even know who my favorite artist is? Whether or not I prefer Mozart over Bach? I don't think you even know what my favorite color is." Henry was at a loss for words and Laura's expression dropped even further. She looked completely miserable and hurt. "You don't even come to my recitals anymore," she whispered, looking down at the floor. "I think I'll just go to bed now."

Laura trudged out of the kitchen and up to her room, wiping at the tears that slipped from her eyes in a steady stream. She hadn't expected it to go so terribly. She hadn't thought she would be so angry. And she hadn't realized how hurtful the truth would be once it had been said aloud. She crawled up onto her large bed and hugged a pillow to herself leaning against it for emotional support. She started to cry more when she reminded herself of the fact that none of her friends had ever seen her room. They'd only ever seen the foyer.

Her entire life was nothing but rules and regulations and she was just now becoming aware of it; it had taken Reid for her to realize how truly trapped she was. It was strange how similar yet completely different they were. He acted out, was trapped in his life and his ways because he couldn't do the things he liked, be the person he wanted to be. She was trapped because she was doing the things she loved, because she was the person she wanted to be.

Truth be told, it had been enough for her. She'd never been a girl to picture her wedding or kids. Dancing was what her world revolved around. It was the air she breathed. She hadn't needed anything else.

Reid had been just as much a surprise for her as she had been for him. Laura had never needed a guy, friendship or otherwise. She'd never even attempted to picture the type of guy she'd end up with because it hadn't mattered enough for her to try. Having someone in her life just hadn't been a priority. But now...

Everything was upside down and spinning wildly out of control. Laura just hoped it couldn't get any worse.

* * *

A/N: the title of the chapter is a lyric from MGMT's "Weekend Wars". I hope you enjoyed this extremely long chapter (sorry about that). Feel free to drop a review. S K B C, I got your PM. I'm just trying to write a coherent PM back :). Sorry it's taking so long.


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